On the morning of August 11, 2025, under the pretext of “delivering fuel and other supplies to fishing vessels,” the Philippines organized a formation of several coast guard and government vessels, approaching China’s Huangyan Dao from multiple directions and forcibly intruding into its territorial waters. They carried out unusually aggressive and highly dangerous maneuvers. In accordance with international and domestic laws, China took necessary control measures and drove the Philippine vessels away.

Although such illegal actions by the Philippines are nothing new, the starkly different responses from both sides during this latest provocation make it clear who is upholding peace and stability in the South China Sea, and who is undermining regional order.

（On August 11, 2025, the Philippine Coast Guard 4406 intrudes into the waters near China's Huangyan Dao and dangerously approached Chinese vessels. /China Coast Guard)

In this incident, faced with the Philippines' deliberate and malicious provocation, Chinese vessels and crew firmly and resolutely safeguarded sovereignty while demonstrating a high degree of rationality and restraint.

Despite having clear advantages over the Philippine vessels in tonnage and equipment, the Chinese side consistently opted for low-intensity maritime law enforcement measures such as verbal warnings and navigational maneuvers to signal caution, with the sole aim of expelling the illegal intruders. Even in tense moments, no high-intensity control measures were taken. This fully reflects China’s genuine goodwill in avoiding escalation at sea and its firm commitment to maintaining regional peace and stability.

By contrast, the Philippine side’s clumsy theatrics and ill intent were on full display. Using the pretext of “resupplying fishing vessels” to provoke an incident, the Philippines ignored repeated Chinese warnings and patience, sending coast guard and government vessels into the territorial waters of China’s Huangyan Dao. This action violated international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and seriously infringed on China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights.

During the intrusion, Philippine vessels repeatedly engaged in unprofessional conduct, cutting across the bows of Chinese ships, using dangerous speeds, and making unconventional turns, in an attempt to cause collisions and deliberate friction at sea, in clear violation of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea regarding collision-avoidance actions, speed requirements, and rules for vessel encounters.

It is also worth noting that on the very first day of the 48th Meeting of the ASEAN-China Joint Working Group on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) held from the 11th to the 13th of this month, the Philippines chose to take such aggressive and unlawful action.

This move almost unquestionably reflects its contempt for the DOC, its disregard for the overarching goal of regional peace and stability, and its departure from the shared vision of all countries bordering the South China Sea. The Philippines’ deliberate provocation and malicious intent to create turbulence in the South China Sea are all too evident.

Looking at past China–Philippines maritime interactions in recent years, China has consistently responded to provocations and dealt with infringements with rationality and restraint. However, the Marcos administration, driven by self-interest rather than national interest, has betrayed China’s goodwill and repeatedly chosen irrational confrontation. It has even feigned ignorance while being fully aware of the facts, using China’s self-restraint as an excuse to stir up hype and mislead the public.

Manila must understand that fostering good-neighborliness is indeed a traditional Chinese virtue, but as the Analects of Confucius teaches, “If you repay ill will with virtue, what then do you repay virtue with?” China’s patience is not unlimited, and the bitter consequences of continued provocations in the South China Sea will, in the future, be borne solely by the Philippines.

(Author: Chen Xidi, Special Invited Researcher of the CMG Expert Committee on South China Sea Studies, Assistant Professor of China Institute for Marine Affairs, Ministry of Natural Resources)