China's high-seas game of chicken is backfiring

CHINA’s military has long been accused of reckless behavior in the air and at sea. Last week's collision between two ofits vessels in the South China Sea underscores how a single miscalculation could spark a wider conflict.

- By Karishma Vaswani

At stake is the stability of the Indo-Pacific, a strategically important region for the US, where several of its partners, including Japan, the Philippines, and Australia, are increasingly exposed to Beijing’s risky maneuvers.

The latest incident is part of a broader pattern of behavior, especially in the areas China says it owns. Video of last Monday's dangerous encounter shows a Chinese coast guard ship firing water cannons as it chased a Philippine coast guard vessel, before slamming into one of its own warships. Despite the evidence, Beijing blamed Manila for the accident, accusing it of deliberately “{ntruding” into its waters.

China's strategy of pushing boundaries is also about testing American resolve. The US and the Philippines are treaty allies, with Washington legally obligated to defend Manila if attacked. By escalating encounters at sea just to the brink of confrontation, Beijing is probing whether Washington will stand by that commitment.