Philippine boats breach a Chinese coast guard blockade in a faceoff near disputed shoal

This photo taken on Aug 22, 2023 shows Chinese coast guard ships (left and right) corralling a Philippine civilian boat charterted by the Philippine navy to deliver supplies to Philippine navy ship BRP Sierra Madre in Second Thomas shoal, known in the Philippines as Ayungin. - AFP

MANILA (AP): Two Philippine supply boats breached a Chinese coast guard blockade in the South China Sea on Wednesday (Oct 4) in a recurring confrontation near a disputed shoal some fear could spark a larger security crisis that could draw in the United States.

Two Philippine coast guard ships escorted the smaller supply boats, but it wasn't immediately clear whether the ships were blocked by the Chinese coast guard from coming closer to the Second Thomas Shoal, where a small contingent of Filipino marines has stood guard for years aboard a long-marooned but still actively commissioned warship, the BRP Sierra Madre.