Just as Australia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) finalized their joint communique after a special summit in Melbourne this week, yet another major incident erupted in the South China Sea. According to Philippine authorities, an armada of China Coast Guard (CCG) and Chinese maritime militia vessels “harassed, blocked, deployed water cannons, and executed maneuvers in another attempt to illegally impede or obstruct” a Philippine Navy resupply mission to the hotly contested Second Thomas Shoal. The collision caused minor structural damages to the Philippine patrol vessel BRP Sindangan. But, for ... (full story)