SUMMARY
The Philippines on Monday, December 11, described the actions of Chinese vessels against its boats carrying out South China Sea resupply missions over the weekend as a “serious escalation.”
In the latest in a series of confrontations, Manila accused Chinese coast guard and maritime militia vessels of repeatedly firing water cannon at its resupply boats and deliberately ramming another near the Second Thomas Shoal.
In recent years , Manila and Beijing have been embroiled in confrontations at the Second Thomas Shoal as China has become more assertive in pressing its maritime claims, alarming rival claimants and other states operating in the South China Sea, including the United States.
China claims sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea, pointing to a line on its ma…