Thrilla in Manila: Rubio arrives as China-Philippines tensions spike

The South China Sea’s waters turned choppy again just as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Manila to attend an ASEAN summit. On Monday, a new maritime clash between China and the Philippines sparked mutual recriminations between Beijing and Manila and a mutual summoning of ambassadors. Washington too weighed in with tough remarks, denouncing Beijing’s “troubling pattern of provocation” in the South China Sea.If China indeed provoked this incident, its timing was poor. The gathering of so many diplomatic dignitaries in Manila at the annual ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ meeting gave the