This is a series of CBS Island the World. I'm John Bachelor with my colleague and friend Gordon Chang and we welcome James Holmes, first holder of the Wiley Chair of Maritime Strategy Naval War College to help us

with an interpretation and a fact.

For example, the BBC reports, a Philippine boat and Chinese ship have collided near a contested reef.

This is second Thomas Scholl in the Spratley Island, South China Sea.

Whereas the AP is reporting that the Chinese Coast Guard targeted Philippine vessels with

water cannon blast Sunday and rammed one of them according to Philippine

officials.

Jim a very good evening to you, rammed collided.

There looks to be a distinction somehow in these facts.

What can you tell us about this incident which has been anticipated for some time I believe a water

cannon was also used in harassing Philippine boats good evening to you.

Hey John, hey Gordon a pleasure as always.

Yeah, well I mean it's, I mean obviously the distinction between a collision and inadvertent collision

and ramming is obviously is obviously a big deal. However, I would point out that the China Coast Guard has no business trying to police the South China Sea outside of China's

exclusive economic zone.

So in that sense, they are actually putting themselves in the in the path of

Philippine vessels doing with doing legitimate business within within the

Philippine zone exclusive economic zone which which is which it belongs to it by right by the law of the

sea and so forth which of course China is trying to to a null within its

within its massive claims in the South China Sea. The water cannon, Jim, is there any way to interpret that as an accident?

No, it's been standard practice for a very long period of time.

I believe it was 2010 when the Japan Coast Guard and the Chinese Coast Guard both

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