The United States deployed two warships to waters near Scarborough Shoal on Wednesday, just days after a collision between Chinese navy and coast guard vessels while attempting to block a Philippine Coast Guard ship in the disputed South China Sea.
The U.S. Navy said the operation was part of its routine freedom of navigation patrols, challenging what it calls Beijing’s “illegal” restrictions and excessive claims in the South China Sea. China, which now uses a so-called “ten-dash line” to mark its claimed territory, rejects the right of foreign military vessels to operate near the shoal without its consent.
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Collision incident sparks alarm
Monday’s confrontation occurred about 10.5 nautical miles from Scarborough Shoal, when a Chinese navy destroyer and a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel collided while maneuvering to drive away the BRP Suluan.
“For so many years, we have been reminding them to stop dangerous maneuvers, to stop risky blockings, to adhere to the [anti-]collision regulations because if there is a very high chance of miscalculation, this kind of collision incident would happen,” Philippine Coast Guard Commodore Jay Tarriela stated.
A PCG-released video showed the CCG ship firing a high-pressure water cannon before being struck on the bow by the fast-turning Chinese navy ship. The collision left the coast guard vessel’s forecastle heavily damaged and the navy destroyer with large dents and scrapes. Several Chinese personnel seen at the bow before impact were absent after the crash, raising safety concerns.
A ‘Significant Escalation’
AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. noted that this was the first time the People’s Liberation Army Navy directly participated in obstructing a Philippine mission at Scarborough, describing it as a marked escalation. Denny Roy, a senior fellow at the East-West Center, said Beijing’s use of a destroyer in such an encounter would “provoke outrage” if the roles were reversed.
Tarriela said the Philippine government supports U.S.-led navigation operations as a direct challenge to China’s expansive claims, already dismissed in the 2016 arbitral ruling that declared Scarborough a traditional fishing ground for multiple nations.
Strategic stakes for the Philippines
The U.S. and the Philippines are bound by the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, which obligates mutual defense in the event of an armed attack, including in the South China Sea. Analysts believe the U.S. deployment is a direct signal to Beijing that aggression against Philippine forces will invite an American military presence.
Since China’s effective control of Scarborough Shoal in 2012, at least two CCG ships have consistently stationed near its lagoon, preventing Filipino fishermen and PCG vessels from freely accessing the area. Philippine officials warn that Chinese “exclusion zone” enforcement continues to erode Manila’s sovereignty in its own exclusive economic zone.
With tensions rising, defense observers say the U.S. warship presence could deter further Chinese escalation but also risks heightening military friction in one of the world’s busiest sea lanes, and in waters where the Philippines’ national security and livelihood are directly at stake.
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