A ship identified by the Philippine Coast Guard as a Chinese research vessel is seen towing a floating structure at Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea on June 15, 2026.
Jam Sta Rosa | Afp | Getty Images
The shoal is one of the most volatile flashpoints in the South China Sea, where Beijing claims almost the entire waterway despite a 2016 arbitral ruling that found those claims have no basis in international law. The reef lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone but has seen repeated clashes since 2023, as Chinese vessels have used water cannon, lasers, and ramming to block Filipino resupply missions.
Washington is bound to Manila by a mutual defense treaty signed in 1951, meaning a serious escalation could draw in support from the U.S.
“We stand with our Ally, the Philippines,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement Monday, calling on Beijing to “immediately cease its destabilizing conduct” and reaffirming the 2016 arbitral ruling that found China’s expansive South China Sea claims have no basis in international law.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines said the encounter occurred near the BRP Sierra Madre, the warship Manila grounded on the shoal almost 30 years ago to anchor its claim. The military said a Chinese inflatable boat carrying eight personnel approached the outpost at close range and “reacted violently and aggressively” when two Philippine navy boats moved to drive the Chinese vessel away.
Beijing has disputed that account with the China Coast Guard claiming Philippine dinghies launched “illegally” from the Sierra Madre, ignored repeated warnings, and rammed its patrol vessel, and that Filipino personnel attacked Chinese officers with oars and long sticks.
The flare-up complicates a week Manila had hoped would showcase its ASEAN chairmanship. Wang is scheduled to meet Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro on the sidelines of the annual summit — the first meeting of the two countries’ top diplomats since 2024 — while Rubio is expected to see President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., with the South China Sea issues set to dominate both conversations.