A still image taken from footage released by the Armed Forces of the Philippines showing China Coast Guard personnel confronting a resupply mission to Scarborough Shoal (Photo: Armed Forces of the Philippines)
Baird Maritime offers an opinion piece, “OVERCOMING THE DELIBERATE LEGAL AMBIGUITY ADOPTED BY CHINA’S COAST GUARD.” It is well done.
I will only say, that in the view of myself and, I believe, most of the rest of the world, there is no ambiguity here. What the China Coast Guard is doing in the EEZs of their neighbors is criminal. It began with the destruction of their neighbor’s natural resources as they build artificial islands destroying natural ecosystems. They claim resources that are not theirs. They drive away local fisherman depriving them of their livelihood. They protect a rapacious Chinese fishing fleet that has overfished their own waters and are now destroying vital natural resources in the waters of their neighbors. They have threatened deadly force to intimidate. They have attacked government vessels conducting peaceful routine operations and injured their crewmembers. Now they are threatening kidnapping.
This is state sponsored theft and piracy and an assault on the expected norms of international behavior. We need a forceful international response.
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 
The big problem is that the current President of the Philippines does not want to be aggressive in defending these areas. Other countries like Japan and the US are showing some force with exercises and sailing ships through the area but that’s it.
Why is the Philippines not backing up these supply missions with some bigger vessels? It all points to Malacanang.
Marcos is reacting more strongly than his predecessor. They may have some doubts that the US will come to their rescue if China starts shooting. They are trying very hard to make sure everyone knows China started this.
Agree. Duterte was in China’s back pocket. I think everyone knows that China is the instigator here.
@ Peter, ” I think everyone knows that China is the instigator here.”
We certainly do, but they are building support with ASEAN.
The issue at hand is that, despite lines having been drawn in the sand, nobody has ever actually made China pay the price when one of them has been crossed. And so they creep forward, always in small steps designed to fall short of an escalatory threshold. I suspect that if one were to stand firm on just one occasion, there would me much noise and threats but potentially very little actual consequence. China is painfully aware that it does not have Russia’s oil and that any move to restrict, sanction or embargo its trade would quickly lead to internal strife that the CPC fears more than any external agressor.