The Tactics Institute for Security and Counter-Terrorism raises serious concerns over a Chinese coast guard ship firing a torrent of water at the Philippines fisheries department vessel BRP Datu Pagbuaya in the South China Sea. Ships from the two sides have been disputed frequently in the past year, resulting in damages and injuries. These developments could have devastating outcomes for the region.

The Philippines stated the China Coast Guard fired a water cannon and “sideswiped” a government ship during a maritime patrol near the discussed Scarborough Shoal after Beijing stated it had “exercised control” over the ship. This incident marks a dangerous escalation in the long-standing maritime confrontation.

Scarborough Shoal, a triangular chain of reefs and rocks, has been a point of contention between the nations since China captured it from the Philippines in 2012. Since then, China has conducted patrol boats that Manila expresses harass Philippine vessels and discourage Filipino fishermen from entering a fish-rich lagoon there. The shoal is located 240 kilometers west of the Philippines’ major island of Luzon and about 900 kilometers from the nearest main Chinese landmass of Hainan.

Tensions between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea increased last month when Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos inscribed two regulations defining the country’s sea waters and setting fixed lanes for foreign ships, provoking China to call the Philippine ambassador.

The Tactics Institute calls on both nations’s governments to exercise restraint. We urge them to engage in diplomatic talks to resolve their disputes. We specifically call on the People’s Republic of China to refrain from these types of developments, as it is a major power in the South China Sea. Otherwise, these developments and disputes will endanger the peace of the South China Sea. Collective efforts are crucial to prevent the South China Sea from becoming a theater of conflict.