Members of the Chinese coast guard fired a water cannon on the crew of a Philippine coast guard vessel that was resupplying people living on a former warship on a shoal in the South China Sea. China described the act as a warning and said that it has exercised rational restraint throughout. In this SAFM interview, SAIIA’s Senior Researcher Cobus van Staden says the competing claims between the two countries over parts of the South China Sea are an issue, with each country feeling that it is protecting its territory.
