Near-Collision at Sea Shows Mounting Risks in China-Philippines Dispute

livemint.com:

A Chinese coast guard ship came within a few feet of a Philippine vessel it was trying to block in the disputed South China Sea, signaling a more forceful approach by Beijing in the strategic waterway where tensions are growing. Philippine vessels were attempting to resupply a small detachment of marines on the isolated Second Thomas Shoal when the incident occurred on Wednesday. China also claims the reef, as it does for much of the South China Sea.

The Philippine coast guard, which reported new details of the confrontation Friday, said that four Chinese coast guard ships showed up to disrupt their mission, along with five ships belonging to the Chinese fishing militia. One of the Chinese coast guard ships came as close as about three feet to a Philippine coast guard vessel, Manila said, publishing a video of the incident. The Chinese carried out eight maneuvers the Philippines described as dangerous.

Tensions are high in the disputed waters where China and the Philippines, along with other nations, have overlapping territorial and maritime claims. China’s coast guard regularly tries to block the Philippine convoys—which consist of civilian boats crewed by the Philippine navy and coast guard ships—from reaching Second Thomas Shoal. Last week, the Philippine coast guard said it cut a buoy barrier China had erected at a disputed coral atoll.

China’s coast guard pointed a military-grade laser at a Philippine ship in February and sprayed a water cannon at another in a separate encounter in August. The most recent incident highlights the threat of escalation from such confrontations involving Chinese ships in the South China Sea. The encounter will be monitored in the U.S., a Philippine ally, amid tensions between Washington