The South China Sea is rolling again. In the early morning of October 13, more than a hundred Philippine ships gathered and rushed to Huangyan Island and Simbin Reef. The scene was comparable to a "performance" by a small fleet.

But this was not a sea exercise, but a blatant provocation. China Coast Guard quickly took action, and the operation of shouting, water cannon, and control flowed smoothly, eventually allowing the Philippine ship to retreat with injuries.

Who is fueling the flames behind it? China, on the other hand, seems to be no longer satisfied with "driving away", but has shown two killing moves: the legal "118-degree line" and the economic "trillion ticket".

Chinese maritime police "combined fist" see the true chapter

The starting point of this round of friction in the South China Sea was actually laid as early as October 8. Philippine ships appeared in the waters near Huangyan Island, dragging their feet and approaching the China Coast Guard law enforcement ship without warning. In the following days, the shadow of Philippine ships appeared one after another on Xianbin Reef and Tiandi Reef. especially The railway reef incident, the Philippine official vessel ignored the warning, forced to cross the Chinese 2159 shipyard, resulting in a positive "intensive contact", resulting in the Philippine vessel being damaged, while the Chinese vessels were uninjured.

A spokesman for the Chinese Maritime Police Office also spoke for the first time, pointing out that the Philippine vessels were ¡°dangerously manipulated¡± and the responsibility was entirely in the Philippines. Nevertheless, the Philippine side continued to bite back, claiming that ¡°the Chinese side deliberately crashed the ship¡±, but failed to bring any evidence that could stand.

From Yellowstone Island to Shandong Reef, then to the railway reef, the Philippine sea movements are increasingly frequent, but the tactics are always the same ¨C approaching, touching ceramics, hype. This ¡°dog skin cream¡± method, in front of China¡¯s maritime police, is completely ineffective. scream evacuation, water cannon warning, precise siege control, China¡¯s maritime police response is not only professional, but also restrained.

And behind these provocations, it is not difficult to see familiar shadows. The United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, the European Union and others have repeatedly voiced "solidarity" with the Philippines, voiced "defending freedom of navigation", but did not speak to the provocative actions of the Philippines.A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry responded: The South China Sea does not welcome outside forces.¡£The role of the Philippines has become more and more like a pawn pushed to the front line, with many actions but lack confidence.

From the point of view of action, China has not been passively beaten, but has cleared the red line with a set of "combined fists". The rubbing of the railway reef has become a turning point, marking that China is no longer tolerant of the Philippine side's "rubbing of the edge", but with practical actions to safeguard the sovereign bottom line.

The 118-degree line

If maritime law enforcement is China's external counterattack, the "sword of jurisprudence" is a deeper response.Gao Zhikai, deputy director of the globalization think tank, recently proposed that, The 118-degree lineIt should serve as the legal basis for judging the South China Sea disputes.This is not a new invention, but a clear record from historical documents.

The 1898 Treaty of Western-American Paris stated in black and white that the westernmost border of the Philippines is the 118 degrees east longitude line.The island reefs west of this line, including Yellowstone Island, Mid-Industrial Island, Yellowstone Reef, etc., are not within the scope of Philippine sovereignty. This fact, not only exists in historical texts, but has been mentioned by Western media. For example, the Wall Street Journal has pointed out in the topic that the geographical coordinates of the disputed seas in the South China Sea do not match the treaty borders.

In the face of this question, the Philippines¡¯ reaction appears to be ¡°low¡±. They do not respond directly to the 118 degree line, but instead draw out other historical documents such as the Washington Treaty to blur the focus. But these documents do not define the territorial sea boundaries, and can not overturn the original agreement of the Paris Treaty. The Philippines¡¯ ¡°reflection¡± has no support in international law.

If China continues to strengthen its border claims of 118 degrees, then all the Philippines' actions in the South China Sea will no longer be "controversial acts", but will be the most controversial. ¡°Cross Border Violations¡±Once the Philippines denies the border, it is equivalent to demolishing the western border firewall itself, and even the "pharisic cloak" is gone.

But here's the thing. If the Philippines insists on denying the 118-degree line, it means that it is preparing to move towards a more radical path.But the reality lies in front of the eye: whether from military or economic strength, the Philippines has no capital for a comprehensive confrontation with China. and its "allied" behind it, whether it will be real gold and silver at a critical moment, it may be difficult to say very clearly.

Let the provocateur weigh the price

In addition to the line-up, China this time also unveiled a ¡°economic magic card¡±.Dr. Gao Zhi Kay proposed that the Philippines¡¯s military ship¡¯s act of illegally seating on the Rhineland Reef in 1999 would be traceable.

It sounds exaggerated? it is not complicated. On the basis of $1 million per day, in 26 years, the solar capital is close to $10 billion. If you add interest, punitive compensation and the loss of continuous illegal occupation, breaking the trillion yuan is not a nightmare.

This is not just an account, but a signal. In the past, in the South China Sea, China often dismissed matters, but this proposal means that China is formally considering expanding sovereignty protection from law enforcement to economic rights protection.The shift from ¡°driving out¡± to ¡°pursuing responsibility¡± is essentially to let the provocator know: it is easy to do it and it is expensive to pay off.

For the Philippines, such a fine proposal is not only an economic pressure, but also a political problem.The Marcos government is facing the question of the domestic public opinion: this bill, who will pay?

As for the "allies" such as the United States, they talk lively. If they really want to pay for the Philippines to pay a fine, I'm afraid they have to "hire another brilliant person". This proposal is undoubtedly a blow to the western "solidarity faction": it is easy to encourage others to pick things up, but it is not that simple to end them for others.

Experts believe that The legal 118-degree line and the financial fine proposal are actually a set of "combination play". The former cuts off the legal basis of the Philippines, while the latter increases its operational costs.This "two-pronged" strategy is not only a response to a provocation, but also a reshaping of the future situation in the South China Sea. This may become a paradigm shift in the way international territorial disputes are handled.

The initiative power in the South China Sea situation is becoming quiet. China is no longer satisfied with passive reaction, but takes the initiative to draw lines, establish rules, and set accounts.The 118-degree line is a legal red line stabbed in the throat of the Philippines, and a trillion-dollar fine is an economic hammer that hits the heart.

The essence of this game is to redefine the rules and costs. The past "you come and I stop" model, has left the new logic of "you provoke, I count." China supported with power, with law as the basis, with the economy as the means, opened a new path for the defense of the South China Sea.

If the Philippines continues to misjudge the situation, it will only become more and more passive. Returning to the negotiating table is the only realistic option. China has demonstrated its determination and ability to safeguard maritime rights and interestsNext, it is time to see if the Philippines understands the times and stops making mistakes on the wrong routes.

Source: ¡°Eastern Crisis 118-degree line¡± Philippines is difficult to avoid Philippines is in a difficult situation.¡ªChinese network 2025-10-13 15:26:48