Could rising tensions between China and the Philippines draw in the U.S.?

China’s coast guard sailors used knives, spears and axes in a brawl after they bumped their ship into Philippine navy boats in the South China Sea. The battle centered on a rusted-out old warship. It’s parked in the middle of the sea, perched atop the Second Thomas Shoal reef.

It serves as a Philippine beachhead, marking Philippine territory in the South China Sea. About a dozen Philippine marines are stationed inside. This tiny turf battle has broad international implications. If fighting escalates between the Philippines and China, the United States could get drawn into the conflict because the U.S. has a mutual defense agreement with the Philippines.

Here & Now‘s Scott Tong talks with Bonnie Glaser, a China scholar with the German Marshal Fund.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.