Why coast guards can complicate South China Sea escalation

How might a confrontation develop after China authorized force at sea and the United States sent coast guard vessels to the South China Sea?

Cutters could make a Chinese armed response look disproportionate, but their size and uncertain suitability for ramming leave them vulnerable in close encounters with larger coast guard vessels.

Sending US Coast Guard cutters creates a political difficulty for China because opening fire on a law-enforcement vessel could look disproportionate. The concern is that American cutters are smaller than the largest Chinese and Japanese coast guard ships. The National Security Cutter's suitability for deliberate ship-to-ship contact is also questioned: its patrol and counter-smuggling work does not necessarily demand a hull designed for ramming. Forceful contact is considered more likely than an exchange of gunfire. That makes hull strength and vessel size relevant to the risks of the deployment.