China, Philippines at a sea fight breaking point

MANILA – Just as Australia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) finalized their joint communique after a special summit in Melbourne this week, yet another major incident erupted in the South China Sea.

According to Philippine authorities, an armada of China Coast Guard (CCG) and Chinese maritime militia vessels “harassed, blocked, deployed water cannons, and executed maneuvers in another attempt to illegally impede or obstruct” a Philippine Navy resupply mission to the hotly contested Second Thomas Shoal.

The collision caused minor structural damages to the Philippine patrol vessel BRP Sindangan. But, for the first in recent memory, multiple Filipino officers sustained injuries after Chinese coast guard vessels simultaneously fired water cannons at their resupply vessel.

The violent incident prompted open discussions in Manila on whether it should call for direct American military assistance under the 1951 Philippine-US Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT).

In a statement, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller quickly affirmed that the MDT “extends to armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels or aircraft – including those of its Coast Guard – anywhere in the South China Sea.”

However, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr maintained that the recent clashes didn’t meet the threshold for a joint military response.

“I do not think that it is a time or the reason to invoke the Mutual Defense Treaty. However, we continue to view with great alarm this continuing dangerous maneuvers and dangerous actions that are being done against our seamen, our Coast Guard,” Marcos Jr said.

ASEAN leaders, gathered at the special summit in Melbourne, declined to directly call out China’s actions, but