China's increased aggression in the South China Sea has made it more challenging for the Philippines, now regarded as an Asian middle power, to ignore the situation, an analyst said.
On Aug. 5, the Chinese Coast Guard, backed by its maritime militia and People’s Liberation Army ships, fired water cannons to block a resupply mission to a Philippine military outpost on Second Thomas Shoal. The shoal is located about 200 kilometers from the Philippine island of Palawan and over 1,000 kilometers from China’s nearest major landmass, Hainan Island.
