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The Philippines and China reported their third clash in the South China Sea this week that further heightened tensions, as the US flexed its presence in disputed waters.
China Coast Guard on Friday took "control measures" on multiple Philippine vessels conducting "illegal activities" at the Scarborough Shoal, according to a statement from the force. It didn't elaborate on the measures taken.
The Philippine Coast Guard said its Chinese counterpart used water cannons against coast guard and fisheries bureau vessels, marking the second straight day of skirmishes at Scarborough Shoal. "The Philippine Coast Guard strongly condemns the dangerous and unprofessional actions of the China Coast Guard," it said in a statement.
On Thursday, Manila said a China Coast Guard vessel fired a water cannon at a Filipino vessel for more than two minutes at the disputed shoal.
Amid the tensions, the US ramped up its rhetoric and presence in the region, which coincided with Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to Manila for a summit. The US has a mutual defense treaty with the Philippines.
After meeting with Rubio, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. spoke on the phone with President Donald Trump late Thursday, and got an assurance from the US leader that Manila's concerns will be raised at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in September.
Also on Friday, the US Seventh Fleet posted a photo on X of the George Washington Carrier Strike Group transiting the Luzon Strait to conduct operations in the South China Sea.
Strait transit
The George Washington Carrier Strike Group transits the Luzon Strait to conduct operations in the South China Sea. #PeaceThroughStrength | #US7thFleet pic.twitter.com/qP4FC9dGQ1
— 7th Fleet (@US7thFleet) July 24, 2026
The incidents at Scarborough Shoal took place after China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Philippines Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro met on Wednesday, where they exchanged strong protests in their first sit-down since 2024. Wang warned in that meeting that bilateral relations are "at a crossroads, and it is up to the Philippines to make the correct and rational choice."
Tensions were already high earlier this week after the Philippines accused China Coast Guard personnel of aggressively striking and wounding a Navy serviceman with a wooden baton at the Second Thomas Shoal.
Rubio on Thursday said that a US Coast Guard vessel supported the Philippines during the incident earlier this week, standing between the two sides and allowing the injured sailor to be retrieved.
"So we are already here. We're already present. We have a role, and we're not going to abandon our allies," he said, stressing that improving the US-China relationship won't come at the expense of allies and partners.
China took effective control of the Scarborough Shoal, which it calls Huangyan Island, and its adjacent waters after a standoff with the Philippines in 2012. Beijing has created manmade islands and put up buildings in contested waters in a bid to assert its sweeping claims over the South China Sea, which have been rejected by a ruling of an international tribunal in 2016.
