A Chinese naval vessel and a Chinese coast guard vessel collided while trying to pincer a Philippine Coast Guard ship. The Philippine vessel moved out of the middle, leaving the two Chinese ships to hit each other. China is building the hull numbers that other navies lack, but quantity did not prevent a failed maneuver during a coercive regional operation. The incident helps explain why Japan wants both capable ships and enough of them for presence and territorial-security missions. It also shows how gray-zone pressure can cause a dangerous collision without crossing into open war.
Notable Point · 23:56-25:09
A failed Chinese pincer shows the hazards of gray-zone coercion
A collision between Chinese naval and coast guard vessels during an attempted pincer of a Philippine ship shows how coercion can produce its own operational failure.