China Keeps Harassing Philippine Ships, and Manila Leans on the US

The footage is shaky, shot from the deck of a Filipino patrol ship under way in the South China Sea. Two Chinese vessels are in pursuit, closing fast on the smaller Philippine boat.

Then a Chinese navy ship accidentally crossed in front of its sister ship and the two collided. It is unclear whether anyone aboard was killed or injured.

Scenes like this have become familiar. Philippine authorities have released video showing their vessels blasted with water cannon, sideswiped, and harassed by Chinese ships. The Philippines has a much smaller navy than China, which keeps expanding its fleet, so Manila is overmatched. Without backing from the United States, it can do very little at sea.

A United Nations court ruling favors Manila on paper. At issue is which country controls the scattered islands and reefs. China claims almost all of it under its 10 dash line boundary, which sweeps down from Taiwan past the Philippines and Malaysia and up the coast of Vietnam. The court ruled in favor of the Philippines and against that broad claim. China rejects the ruling but says it is "committed to upholding freedom of navigation in the South China Sea."

That leaves the Philippines caught between a court victory it has little power to enforce on its own and an ally whose support looks less sure. Like many countries, the Philippines has been caught up in President Donald Trump's tariff campaign against trading partners, with its exports to the United States hit with a 19 percent tariff. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. flew to meet Trump in July in hopes of getting a better deal, but he left with the same rate. As Trump redefines the American role in the world, Manila now faces real doubts about how firmly Washington will stand behind it, and that economic pressure could give it more reason to loosen its ties to the United States.