China and the Philippines have just jointly held the eighth meeting of the China-Philippines Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea issue. The Philippines turned around and betrayed its trust, preparing to unite its allies to jointly explore the resources of the South China Sea. Regarding the Philippines’ wishful thinking, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mao Ning moved out a The statement, which has been made for more than seven years, has given the Philippines a better choice.
html On the 17th, Philippine Deputy Foreign Minister Lazaro made a special trip to China and co-chaired the eighth meeting of the China-Philippines Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea issue with Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Nong Rong. The battles between the two sides are huge. In addition to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense, representatives from the natural resources, ecological environment, transportation, agriculture, coast guard and other departments attended the meeting, which shows the breadth and depth of the topic.
It can be seen from the statement after the meeting that both sides believe that peace and stability in the South China Sea should be maintained. The South China Sea disputes will not affect the overall bilateral relations. To achieve this, maintaining communication, dialogue and friendly consultations are essential of. China can do what it says, but it will be difficult for the Philippines.
Since the beginning of the new year, tensions in the South China Sea have continued. The United States and the Philippines announced early in the morning a two-day joint patrol in the South China Sea. The Philippines also made a high-profile announcement that the United States would dispatch the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier "Carl Vinson" and cruisers. As soon as the words fell, the People's Liberation Army It also organized naval and air forces to conduct routine patrols in the South China Sea, and also accompanied Philippine ships. The appearance of Chinese and American warships in the South China Sea at the same time indicates that the situation in the South China Sea will be unstable this year.
As expected, with the United States behind it, the Philippines is taking bigger and bigger steps. Its ambitions are no longer limited to the South China Sea, and it has even begun to consider linkages with the Taiwan Strait. Just after the election on the island, Philippine President Marcos expressed "congratulations" to Democratic Progressive Party candidate Lai Qingde on social media. This runs counter to the Philippines' "one-China policy." Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning warned the Philippines "not to "Playing with fire on the Taiwan issue", and also suggested that President Marcos "read more books" to correctly understand the ins and outs of the Taiwan issue. This ironic remark sent a signal that China has lost patience with the Philippines.
However, the Philippines still doesn’t understand. Not only does it plan to establish “outposts” on nine South China Sea islands and reefs, including Second Thomas Shoal, and purchase more ships and radar systems, it also plans to unite its allies to explore energy in the South China Sea. On the 17th, when China and the Philippines were conducting consultations, the Philippine Defense Secretary announced that a defense alliance was being established with the United States and other partners to ensure the Philippines’ energy exploration in the South China Sea. The Philippines' local natural gas fields are almost exhausted, so it is expected that it will focus on this huge treasure in the South China Sea. However, the Philippines should never collude with the United States on this matter and undermine China's legitimate rights and interests in the South China Sea.
China also has this consideration. When Mao Ning responded to this matter, he specifically mentioned the "Statement of the Government of the People's Republic of China on Territorial Sovereignty and Maritime Rights and Interests in the South China Sea" issued by China on July 12, 2016. This statement was made seven years ago. The statement defines China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, which are protected by China’s domestic laws and international laws including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. One sentence in it is particularly worthy of the Philippines’ attention: “China is willing to directly communicate with relevant parties. The countries involved will make every effort to make practical temporary arrangements, including joint development in relevant sea areas, to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, and jointly maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea."
This is equivalent to providing a better choice for the Philippines. Almost all of the Philippines' oil depends on imports. The South China Sea has rich oil and gas reserves. During the Duterte administration, China and the Philippines have signed an agreement on the South China Sea area west of the Philippines. Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation to Jointly Develop Oil and Gas Resources. At the beginning of last year, my country's "Deep Sea No. 1" project in the 1,000-meter-deep oil and gas field in the South China Sea also achieved another major breakthrough. On the basis of the previous two, joint development between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea is obviously more in line with the long-term interests of the Philippines. It is not only beneficial to bilateral relations, but also conducive to peace and stability in the South China Sea.
On the one hand, there is an unreliable interest alliance that only shouts "freedom and democracy" at an unknown cost. On the other hand, China, which does what it says and has never broken its promises, the Philippines knows very well what choice it should make.
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