On Friday, Chinese vessels utilized water cannons against Philippine boats, one of which was transporting a USdaily crew, near a volatile area in the South China Sea. This marks the third significant confrontation this week in these disputed waters.
Although the shoal appears unremarkable aside from its abundant fishing resources, this location is a complex geopolitical flashpoint.
The necessity for unimpeded access to a key shipping route, the defense agreement between the Philippines and the United States, and China’s ongoing efforts to reinforce claims over contested areas mean that a single navigational error or misfire could ignite significant conflict.
USdaily received special permission to board a vessel from the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, tasked with delivering fuel to local fishermen near Scarborough Shoal, a sandbar claimed by both China and the Philippines.
As Philippine vessels neared the shoal on Friday, several larger ships from the China Coast Guard maneuvers close enough for USdaily’s crew to see the faces of their crew members.
“You must leave immediately… Otherwise, we will act firmly in accordance with the law,” a representative from the China Coast Guard announced via megaphone, while their ship circled the Philippine vessel and discharged water from the cannon.
Although overshadowed by conflicts in other areas in recent years, the South China Sea remains a significant potential source of global discord. Various nations are vying for control over this critical economic route, through which a third of the world’s maritime trade flows annually.
Ultimately, the Philippine vessels aborted their mission on Friday and returned to port, citing an approaching typhoon. After their departure, the tension significantly eased, although Chinese Coast Guard ships were still observed in the distance, monitoring the Philippine vessels.
Philippine officials later reported that there were a total of 15 Chinese vessels, including those belonging to the Coast Guard and a so-called “maritime militia.” The Philippines deployed 10 ships, three of which were from its coast guard, and a small Philippine government aircraft also flew low over the vessels during the operation.
The Philippine Coast Guard reported that its vessels faced a series of water cannon assaults and perilous maneuvers from the China Coast Guard. One Chinese vessel came alarmingly close, within seven meters (around 23 feet), to the Philippine ship that USdaily was aboard, which posed a “serious risk of collision,” according to the report.
In contrast, a report from China’s state media stated that the coast guard “conducted enforcement actions on Friday in compliance with the law against several Philippine vessels involved in illegal activities in the waters surrounding Huangyan Island,” the Chinese designation for Scarborough Shoal.
When asked by USdaily’s Mike Valerio to comment on the incident from Friday, Lin Jian, spokesperson for Beijing’s foreign ministry, stated that it was “legitimate and lawful for China to take necessary measures to uphold its rights and security, which is professional, standard, and above reproach.”
Known as Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines, this shoal is an uninhabited rock featuring a central lagoon, located 140 miles (220 kilometers) west of Luzon, the main Philippine island, and approximately 530 miles from China’s Hainan province.
All three countries—China, the Philippines, and Taiwan—assert claims over Scarborough Shoal, yet China has maintained effective control since 2012 through a near-constant presence of its coast guard in the area.
Clashes at sea
Tensions have been escalating throughout the week.
The initial incident occurred at Second Thomas Shoal, a rocky formation in the Spratly Islands that is also disputed by both Manila and Beijing.
The Philippines has a small presence on the shoal via a grounded World War II-era vessel, the BRP Sierra Madre. On Monday, the Philippine military reported that a Chinese Coast Guard ship dispatched a smaller boat toward the Sierra Madre. In response, the Philippines deployed two inflatable boats to escort the Chinese vessel away.
Video footage from the Philippines shows a group of eight Chinese personnel in a boat colliding with one of the smaller Philippine vessels. It appears that physical confrontations occurred involving wooden sticks and paddles, resulting in injuries to two Philippine service members who required medical attention, as stated by their military.
In the aftermath, Chinese officials accused the Philippines of disseminating false information, asserting that Philippine vessels had rammed and aggressively attacked their personnel.
A second clash occurred just days later when China’s Coast Guard reported that it had expelled two Philippine vessels that it accused of “intruding” into Scarborough Shoal waters.
The Philippine military later claimed that Chinese ships had employed water cannons and hazardous navigational tactics to obstruct efforts to resupply fishermen near the shoal. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries, and the Philippine vessels continued with their mission.
The United States responded to both incidents. Following Monday’s confrontation, the State Department condemned China’s “dangerous and aggressive” actions, while on Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed similar sentiments.
“We have a responsibility, and we will not forsake our allies. This is abundantly clear,” he stated during an ASEAN meeting in Manila.
As a US mutual defense treaty partner, the Philippines is entitled to American assistance in the event of an attack on its territory or potentially even against its maritime vessels.
The underlying tension was evident even before Friday’s events. As the 30-meter (90-foot) Philippine vessel carrying USdaily sailed through the South China Sea overnight, it was trailed by a China Coast Guard ship that was almost four times larger, measuring 111 meters (364 feet), highlighting the strength and size of China’s maritime capabilities.
Disputed waters
The territorial disputes in the 1.4 million-square-mile South China Sea involve not just the Philippines and China; Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan also assert claims over some of the 250 islands, reefs, and atolls present in the region.
An international tribunal determined in 2016 that China lacks a legal foundation to claim historical rights to a majority of the South China Sea. Chinese President Xi Jinping dismissed the ruling at the time and continued construction in contested waters, erecting military facilities, airstrips, and artificial islands, despite having promised not to do so during a 2015 visit to the White House.
Control over these features and the adjacent waters has gained even more significance this year in light of recent developments in the Persian Gulf.
Following attacks from the US and Israel, Iran has managed to close the Strait of Hormuz, which is critical for up to 20% of global oil trade and other essential supplies, affecting various sectors from agriculture to semiconductor manufacturing. Analysts express concerns about the potential repercussions of a similar confrontation occurring in the South China Sea on the global economy.
Such confrontations have become increasingly frequent as Beijing adopts a more assertive posture. A particularly violent incident in June 2024 saw Chinese Coast Guard personnel wielding axes against Philippine troops and damaging their rubber boats.
The presence of the Chinese coast guard has intensified, with its vessels logging 993 ship days in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal in June alone, nearly matching the total for all of 2025, according to research from the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
The US has also increased its naval presence in the region, relocating Coast Guard vessels previously stationed in Bahrain before the onset of the Iran conflict to the eastern Pacific.
Reporting contributed by USdaily’s Mike Valerio in Beijing, along with Brad Lendon and Jessie Yeung.
