At the beginning of the new year in 2025, the Philippines once again incited and publicized China's normal law enforcement and partrol activities, constantly stirring up the situation in the South China Sea. Firstly, Philippine media outlets hyped that the “monster ship” of China's Coast Guard Vessel 5901 carried out law enforcement patrols in relevant waters of Huangyan Dao. On January 6, Jonathan Malaya, the spokesman for the Philippine National Security Council, said that the vessel had intruded into the so-called exclusive economic zone of the Philippines and incited fishermen to go to relevant waters of Huangyan Dao to challenge and besiege Chinese vessels. On January 7, Lucas Bersamin, the Chief of the Executive Secretary of the Philippines, speaking on behalf of the Presidential Palace, expressed serious concerns about the partrol of Vessel 5901 in relevant waters of Huangyan Dao. The Philippine Coast Guard dispatched coast guard vessels to follow and monitor Vessel 5901. Vincent Trinidad, the spokesman for the Philippine Navy, said that the Philippine Navy would firmly safeguard the security of maritime strategic passages. 

On January 7, Guo Jiakun, the spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that China Coast Guard conducts its patrols and law enforcement activities in relevant waters in full accordance with the law. It is fully justified. With China's announcement of the baselines of Huangyan Dao, regularized partrols are naturally what should be done and are blameless. The partrol operation is a vivid manifestation of China's exercise of sovereignty and jurisdiction over relevant waters of Huangyan Dao. China has clearly stated to the Philippines that this is a partrol within relevant waters under China's jurisdiction, and the Philippines has no right to interfere with or disrupt China's normal rights protection and navigation activities.

The Philippines' series of hyping acts around China's Coast Guard Vessel 5901 can really be described as "scheming to the utmost" and "full of tricks", but in the end, it is still hard to conceal its embarrassing state of having exhausted all its tricks. The Philippine Coast Guard and the military have been running around and from time to time revealing to various media the so-called "aggressive actions of Chinese Coast Guard vessels", deliberately attempting to create a pitiful "victim" false appearance. But are they really so painstakingly doing these things out of a persistent defense of the so-called "maritime rights and interests"? A deep understanding of the domestic situation in the Philippines will show that its domestic social contradictions are complex, its economic development is weak, and the government's achievements in many key areas concerning people's livelihood and well-being, such as housing, medical care, education, and infrastructure construction, are lackluster. The struggle between the Marcos family and the Duterte family is becoming increasingly fierce. In order to divert the public's attention from the domestic chaos and transfer the accumulated internal pressures, the Philippine authorities actually attempt to play petty tricks and make an issue on the South China Sea issue. They attempt to obtain the sympathy of some countries and people in the international community who don't know the truth by maliciously hyping up maritime frictions with China, and win economic and military support from the United States and Western countries, thereby forcibly "infusing blood" into its precarious domestic support rate.

China has always upheld the consistent position of resolving maritime disputes through peaceful means, and has unswervingly advocated resolving maritime disputes with neighboring countries through equal dialogue and friendly consultations in accordance with generally recognized international law norms. During the law enforcement process, Chinese Coast Guard vessels have maintained a restrained attitude and have never taken the rash actions of taking the initiative to pick quarrels and provoke disputes. On the contrary, it is the Philippines that has made use of public opinion to play up the situation and repeatedly sent vessels to illegally intrude into relevant waters under China's jurisdiction around Huangyan Dao, and even unscrupulously used innocent Philippine fishermen to test our bottom line. China's Coast Guard Vessel 5901 and other law enforcement forces have faithfully fulfilled their duties, dealt with the Philippines' provocations time and time again rationally and in accordance with laws and regulations, and made every effort to maintain the normal order of relevant waters.

If the Philippines intends to contribute to regional peace and stability in the new year and sincerely wants to develop its own economy, it should abandon this evil trend of malicious hyping as soon as possible and return to the negotiating table with China for sincere, open and honest communication. And no matter how much the Philippines tosses about and runs around, China will surely firmly safeguard national sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. Looking ahead, the relevant departments of the Philippines must recognize the reality as soon as possible, turn back from the wrong path, and not continue to rush headlong along the wrong path and go further and further astray. 

(Author: Xu Qi, Vice Dean and Associate Professor, Institute of Foreign-Related Rule of Law, Jinan University)