On June 15, 2026, a vessel identified by the Philippine Coast Guard as a Chinese research vessel is seen towing a floating structure off the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.
Jamstarosa | AFP | Getty Images
The shoal is one of the most volatile flashpoints in the South China Sea, with Beijing claiming almost the entire waterway despite a 2016 arbitration ruling finding it without basis under international law. The reef is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, but it has been subject to repeated collisions since 2023 as Chinese vessels have used water cannons, lasers and ramming attacks to thwart Philippine resupply missions.
Washington is bound to Manila by a mutual defense treaty signed in 1951, meaning a serious escalation could draw support from the US.
“We stand with our ally the Philippines,” State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott said in a statement Monday, calling on Beijing to “immediately cease its destabilizing actions” and reaffirming a 2016 arbitration ruling that found China’s claims to the vast South China Sea had no basis under international law.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines said the collision occurred near BRP Sierra Madre, where the warship Manila ran aground in shallow water to stake a claim some 30 years ago. The military said a Chinese rubber boat carrying eight personnel approached the outpost at close range and two Philippine Navy boats “reacted violently and aggressively” as they moved to dislodge the Chinese ship.
The Chinese government disputes the China Coast Guard’s explanation, saying a Philippine dinghy “illegally” launched from the Sierra Madre mountains, ignored repeated warnings and rammed a patrol boat, and that Filipino personnel attacked Chinese personnel with oars and long sticks.
The flare-up complicates matters in a week when Manila had hoped to assert its status as ASEAN chair. On the sidelines of the annual summit, the first meeting between the two countries’ top diplomats since 2024, Mr. Wang is scheduled to meet with Philippine Foreign Secretary Teresa Lazaro, while Mr. Rubio is scheduled to meet with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., with the South China Sea issue expected to be at the center of the conversation between the two sides.
