South China Sea Tensions Flare as Chinese and Philippine Vessels Collide in Disputed Waters

Tensions over the South China Sea escalated Monday with China filing a diplomatic complaint, the Philippines summoning Beijing's ambassador, and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordering a probe a day after vessels from both nations collided in the disputed waters. Watch more from TIME The "Dangerous, illegal, and reckless maneuvers" by Chinese ships caused damage to Philippine vessels "Within our exclusive economic zone and is being taken seriously at the highest level of government," according to a statement issued by Marcos's office. China has repeatedly urged the Philippines to remove the ship that it said was "Illegally" and "Deliberately" ran aground at the shoal. A social media account linked to the People's Liberation Army accused the Philippines of misleading the world and providing a "Window" for some forces to intervene in the South China Sea, a veiled reference to the U.S. Sunday's encounter follows Philippine efforts to push back against a growing number of incursions as Beijing asserts its claim to nearly all of a key waterway that's resource-rich and vital to global trade. China said the collisions took place after the Philippine boats ignored warnings and approached Chinese vessels in an unsafe manner. The U.S. said the incident represented "Dangerous and unlawful actions" on the part of China as Japan also expressed support for the Philippines. In addition to stepping up public exposure of such incidents, the Philippines and its treaty ally, the U.S., have moved to expand defense cooperation, inflaming tensions between the two superpowers.