Near collision, tense encounter as Beijing flexes muscles in SCS

The crew of the

Philippine coastguard

boat watch anxiously as an imposing Chinese vessel draws near and cuts off its path, coming within a metre of collision in a vast stretch of open water in the

South China Sea

.
The captain of the BRP Sindangan shuts off the engine and activates the reverse throttle. China's coastguard issues a warning via megaphone to leave as the Filipino crew watch closely on a radar that shows two vessels side by side.

Tense encounters like this, about 185km off the Philippines, are becoming more frequent in Asia's most contested waters as China presses its claim of ownership over almost the entire

South China

Sea.

China rules the waves here, and the Philippine mission is symbolic of a wider battle between Beijing and neighbours determined to uphold sovereign rights in their exclusive economic zones (EEZ).
The Philippine coastguard ship is escorting smaller boats to the Second Thomas Shoal that carry supplies to troops posted to a makeshift garrison aboard the Sierra Madre, a World War II ship, that was intentionally grounded on the reef a quarter of a century ago.

Their presence aboard the rusty ship has irked China, with Beijing deploying its modern coastguard ships and clusters of fishing boats 1,150km from the Chinese coast.
China condemned the resupply mission, saying Philippine vessels had "intruded" in its waters without its permission. It has previously ordered the Philippines to tow the grounded ship. The stakes are high if this brinkmanship turns to miscalculation in the South China Sea.