A US Navy guided-missile destroyer performed a so-called Freedom of Navigation operation (FONOP) near disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on Wednesday, just two days after two Chinese military vessels collided while chasing a Philippine Coast Guard ship in nearby waters.

MANILA, Philippines — The United States deployed two warships on Wednesday in a disputed South China Sea shoal, where two Chinese navy and coast guard ships collided two days ago while trying to drive away a smaller Philippine ship in a high-seas accident captured on video, alarming several Western and Asian countries.

The incident comes days after two Chinese vessels collided, allegedly while pursuing a Philippine patrol ship in the vicinity of the contested Scarborough Shoal.