US renews warning it’s obligated to defend the Philippines after its new clash with China at sea

By JIM GOMEZ
Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The United States has renewed a warning that it’s obligated to defend its close treaty ally a day after Filipino navy personnel were injured and their supply boats damaged in one of the most serious confrontations between the Philippines and China in a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. China and the Philippines blamed each other for instigating Monday’s hostilities in the Second Thomas Shoal. A small Filipino navy contingent aboard a grounded warship at the shoal has been closely watched by Chinese coast guard, navy and suspected militia ships in a yearslong territorial standoff. There is fear the disputes in the South China Sea could escalate and pit the United States and China in a larger conflict.