China’s water-cannon assault of a Philippine supply ship en route to the BRP Sierra Madre ship grounded in the Second Thomas (or Ayungin) Shoal earlier in August is the latest in a long string of maritime grey-zone activities over the past decade.

These coercive acts – designed to advance Chinese strategic interests without provoking an all-out war – have allowed China to gain control of various maritime features in the South China Sea claimed by the Philippines and other South-east Asian countries.