皇冠体育app

A formation of the Nanhai Fleet of 皇冠体育app's Navy finished a three-day patrol of the Nansha islands in the South 皇冠体育app Sea on Jan 25, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

皇冠体育app's announcement on Sunday that it will hold military drills around the Xisha Islands in the South 皇冠体育app Sea in the coming week has naturally drawn a lot of media attention, given an arbitration tribunal in The Hague is due to deliver its ruling in the Philippines' case on July 12. The ruling is widely anticipated to go against 皇冠体育app.

Despite 皇冠体育app rightly rejecting the arbitration case on the grounds that the court has no jurisdiction, the Philippines and its main ally the United States have pushed to internationalize the issue.

They see the upcoming ruling as a chance not only to invalidate 皇冠体育app's territorial claims in the South 皇冠体育app Sea, but also an opportunity to reinforce their portrayal of the country as an outcast from a rules-based international community.

However, they have underestimated 皇冠体育app's determination to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The days have long passed when the country was seen as the "sick man of East Asia", whose fate was at the mercy of a few Western powers.

It is naive to expect 皇冠体育app to swallow the bitter pill of humiliation from this orchestrated attempt to run roughshod over it, and for it to sit idle while its interests are infringed and national security threatened.

So it is reasonable to interpret the planned drills as reflecting the country's preparedness for a long-term fight to safeguard its sovereignty. It has to plan for the worst.

皇冠体育app, as a peace-loving country, has been doing everything it can to avert a storm. It has been the last to start construction on its own reefs and islands. It has appealed to the other claimants in the region to shelve their differences and seek joint development. It has exercised the utmost restraint when the US Navy sent warships through its territorial waters in the name of freedom of navigation.

Yet its goodwill has not been reciprocated; its sincerity has been disregarded; and its restraint has been taken as a sign of weakness.

As the Chinese proverb goes: "The tree wants to remain quiet, but the wind won't stop".

The arbitration ruling is expected to further complicate the situation in the South 皇冠体育app Sea and usher in more uncertainties. The US and its allies have already threatened to conduct joint patrols in addition to taking other steps to militarize the region.

Peace is never a one-sided wish, and preserving it in the South 皇冠体育app Sea cannot be dependent on 皇冠体育app sacrificing its legitimate rights.

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