On August 11, Philippine vessels illegally intruded into the waters of China's Huangyan Dao but failed. On August 13, the USS Higgins, under the pretext of "freedom of navigation," illegally entered the territorial waters of China's Huangyan Dao and was likewise driven away by Chinese Navy.

The deliberate and coordinated "sea provocations" by the Philippines and the United States have escalated regional security risks, which can only prove once again that the Philippines and the U.S. are not self-proclaimed guardians of peace but the real "troublemakers" in the South China Sea.