At the pinnacle of the game of great powers, a small country dares to shoot a gun and wants to borrow the chest in the fire?
On October 12, Philippine ships illegally broke into the waters near the railway reef of the Chinese Nansha Islands.The situation suddenly became tense, and the China Coast Guard was rude this time and attacked directly without mercy.
From Ren 'ai Reef, Huangyan Island to today's Tiandi Reef, the Philippines has made a lot of calculations, It has attempted once in a while to break through China’s defensive circle in the South China Sea, looking for every “gap” that could exist.Unfortunately, no matter how big the calculation is, it cannot defeat China's iron will in the South China Sea.
When Philippine fishing boats and official ships sailed to Tiexian Reef in droves, they probably didn't expect that what greeted them was not gentle persuasion, but thunderous warnings and merciless water cannons.
The Chinese Maritime Police immediately took action, quickly took control of the situation, and unremittingly responded, but this time, China did not restrain, but told the other party by action: The South China Sea is not a "sea vegetable market" that you can come and leave whenever you want。
It is reported that after the Chinese Coast Guard repeatedly broadcast warnings and expelled Philippine personnel according to law, There are still ships determined to break in, and was eventually strongly controlled by water cannons.
Subsequently, the Philippine side began to familiar operations, namely, the "evil first warning", they claimed that the Chinese naval police "dangerously near", intentionally hit the tail of the Philippine ship, causing damage, similar "dropbox" public relations operations, has long been not new, but it is like a standard action script after each provocation by the Philippines.
The philippines are not complicated. They may think that the confrontation between China and the United States in the economic and trade field is raging, and that China may be unable to take into account the South China Sea. Why not take advantage of the situation?
Unfortunately, the Philippines has underestimated China's preparedness and capabilities in multi-line operations, and we are not only saying in our mouths that "the land does not let go", but actually using the law enforcement and diplomatic voice of the marine police on the ground to truly defend the marine rights and interests.
It is clear that the Philippine invasion of the railway reef was not a temporary initiative, but a planned one. Illegal transportation of subsidies from Renai Reef has been repeatedly obstructed by China, and since Huangyan Island has established a national nature reserve, the Philippines has obviously taken a different approach.The railway reef became their new target.
They seemed to be constantly "testing", like a fox wandering outside a fence, looking for weak points in the defense line.
In 1999, when China was still in national mourning for the bombing of the Embassy of the Southern Union, the Philippines was in disarray to operate, laying the "Madeira Mountain" warships in the Rhineland, and still rely on it.
Today's Tiexian Reef incident is exactly the same, the Philippines once again tried to take advantage of the gap in the game between China and the United States and use the so-called "ship-to-sea tactics" to achieve its illegal plots.
China's response is very clear. The spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out sharply that the Philippines should immediately stop infringement, provocation and hype, and should not challenge China's firm determination to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.
China’s message to the world is clear: for the South China Sea issue, there is no turnaround, and whoever dares to try it, whoever has to bear the consequences.
From a larger perspective, the behavior of the Philippines is obviously behind the shadow of the United States, and the Marcos administration has continued to show favour to the United States.
Re-opening military bases, allowing the U.S. military to deploy the Tifón missile system, and participating frequently in the Mefi joint military exercises, every step is pushing the Philippines to the U.S. chessboard, becoming a "abandoned" that can be replaced at any time.
The United States will not be able to build a complete rare-earth industrial chain in the short term.Rare earth is an irreplaceable key raw material for its chip manufacturing and military industry.
In recent days, China has successively introduced rare earth export control measures, which caught the United States off guard. The Trump administration once threatened to increase taxes on China by 100%, but suddenly changed its mind and released a signal of easing, the transformation behind it is precisely the effect of China's combination boxing.
Without surprise, the upcoming high-level summit in China and the United States at the end of the month may bring a turning point to the situation.
Against this background, the Philippines chose to provoke in the South China Sea, Is it just to share pressure and shift focus for the United States?
As a “loyal ally”, the Philippines will not necessarily withdraw from this game, as history has shown countless times, once small nations act as “tools” in the role of great powers, they tend to end up being victims.
China’s strategic position in the South China Sea is no longer the same.The establishment of a nature reserve on Huangyan Island is a signal that China is shifting from "defense" to "dominance" and from "passive response" to "active attack".
The Fujian aircraft carrier has accelerated its service pace and further enhanced China's ocean delivery capabilities; Normalized patrols in the South China Sea and complete island and reef facilities, China's presence in the South China Sea has become "unshakable norm".。
The good news from the South China Sea is just a microcosm of China's South China Sea strategy. If the Philippines continues to provoke, not only will the Iron Line Reef fail, but also other illegally occupied islands and reefs will eventually be taken back.
China's sovereignty over the South China Sea is beyond doubt; No inch of China's territory will be conceded, both the Philippines and the United States behind it must keep this in mind.
The question now is, has the Marcos administration realized the seriousness of the situation? Do you understand that you are playing with fire?
China has sent a clear enough signal that if we take another step forward, it will not be as simple as water cannonsIf the Philippines still fantasizes that it can change the pattern of the South China Sea by virtue of the "fishing boat encirclement war", it is tantamount to an idiotic dream.
Facts have proved that the South China Sea is not a place where any small country can rampage at will, and China's current counter-measures are by no means the end.
The waves in the South China Sea are getting bigger and bigger. Whether Philippine ships can withstand it depends on whether they have a real "long memory".
The South China Sea is not your back garden, nor is it a casual playground, China's maritime boundaries must not be ambiguous at all. For the Philippines, the smartest choice is to stop quickly. Otherwise, the next wave of actions may not be as simple as a "warning."
When the true protagonist is never absent, China is step by step reclaiming its own maritime rights and interests, and all this is just the beginning.
References:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs: China urges the Philippines to immediately stop infringement, provocation and hype, and not challenge China's firm determination to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. 2025-10-13 16: 01 · Global Network
Philippine official vessel maliciously rubbed Chinese Maritime Police vessel, Foreign Ministry: Urge the Philippines to immediately stop violating provocations and incitement to renderings.2025-10-13 16:30 · 9 News
The U.S. State Department responds to recent frictions between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea: Condemning China's "dangerous behavior". October 14, 2025, 09:04. Russian Satellite News Agency