On August 26, 2024, an officer from China Coast Guard monitors Philippine Coast Guard ship 4411 which ilegally intruded into waters near China's Xianbin Jiao. Photo: China Coast Guard

After staging a series of dramas involving the Philippine Coast Guard ship MRRV-9701, which left the lagoon of China's Xianbin Jiao (also known as Xianbin Reef) in the South China Sea in mid-September, experts warned on Friday that the Philippines may take some actions in an attempt to occupy uninhabited islands and reefs, including sending other ships using various excuses to take long-term stay at Xianbin Jiao. They stressed that any provocation will be met with firm countermeasures. 

The Philippines may make fresh provocations by sending other ships carrying enough supplies to stay at Xianbin Jiao under the guise of transporting supplies to fishermen or environment assessment, with the real purpose of seeking opportunities to ground the ship on the reef, Yang Xiao, deputy director of the Institute of Maritime Strategy Studies at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Friday. 

The Philippine Coast Guard ship MRRV-9701 withdrew from Xianbin Jiao on September 14 after it illegally intruded and anchored there for nearly five months. After arriving at the Port of Puerto Princesa in Palawan, Philippine media sensationally reported about personnel from the ship being "immediately transferred to waiting vehicles at the pier."

If the Philippines insists on launching a new round of provocations by illegally intruding and anchoring at Xianbin Jiao, it will face strong countermeasures from China.

Yang said that the withdrawal of the Philippine ship MRRV-9701 from Xianbin Jiao underscores China's capability to control the waters and its commitment to safeguarding sovereignty. Attempts to send smaller ships for further provocations are doomed to fail, he added.

On September 15, China Coast Guard spokesperson Liu Dejun urged the Philippines to stop its provocative rhetoric and risky infringements. He said in a statement that China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands, including Xianbin Jiao, and its surrounding waters. 

The China Coast Guard will continue to conduct law enforcement activities in waters under Chinese jurisdiction, resolutely safeguarding national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, said Liu. 

Yang said that while foreign affairs departments in the Philippines are engaging in dialogue with China to manage the situation in the South China Sea, the Philippine Coast Guard and military are escalating confrontations, revealing a gap between its rhetoric and action, which has also shaken the credibility of the Philippines.

On September 11, Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong and Undersecretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines Maria Theresa P. Lazaro jointly held a meeting between heads of the China-Philippines Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea (BCM) in Beijing. The two sides had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on the maritime issues between China and the Philippines, in particular the issue of Xianbin Jiao, according to a release from Chinese Foreign Ministry.