China is showing increasingly “aggressive and irresponsible behavior” in the South China Sea which it claims almost in its entirety and it will only be “a matter of time” before its actions trigger a “major incident” in the disputed waters, American officials warned on Tuesday. There is a “clear and upward trend” of Chinese “provocations” against other countries that are lawfully operating in the region, said Jung Pak, deputy assistant secretary for East Asia at the US Department of State, during a forum hosted and livestreamed by US think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC. Chinese vessels recently challenged marine research and energy exploration activities within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and harassed Philippine boats bringing supplies to BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal last month. Chinese aircraft also carried out “unsafe intercepts” of Australian planes flying above the South China Sea’s international airspace, she said.

Mangosing, F. (2022, July 28). US officials: China behavior could trigger 'major incident'. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A9.