Two Chinese warships collided while operating in the South China Sea on Monday. Video of the incident (embedded at the end of this article) shows a People’s Liberation Army-Navy Type 052D destroyer crashing into the bow of a Chinese coast guard vessel as both ships attempted to intercept a Philippines’ coast guard vessel.

That Philippines vessel was escorting fishing vessels as they operated in the Scarborough Shoal, waters well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. The Chinese coast guard vessel’s bow was heavily damaged by the collision. This is an embarrassing incident for Beijing. Indeed, China has thus far refused to admit that the incident even occurred.

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Still, this collision emphasizes the escalating aggression with which Chinese commanders are being directed to advance China’s absurd territorial claims in the South China Sea. Claiming the near entirety of the South China Sea as Chinese waters, Xi Jinping is determined to prevent the Philippines and other states, such as Vietnam and Malaysia, from defending their fishing, energy, or territorial interests within their exclusive economic zones. Of crucial note for the United States, the Philippines is a treaty defense ally. Had the PLA warship responsible for this collision smashed into the smaller Philippines coast guard vessel, it would likely have caused serious casualties. The risk of escalation here cannot be underestimated.

It is highly unlikely that Xi wants a direct confrontation with the U.S. military in the South China Sea. Nevertheless, the orders and tactics being issued to and employed by Chinese naval and coast guard commanders clearly indicate an increasing appetite for risk. Of note, this escalation coincides with President Ferdinand Marcos’s statement last week that the Philippines would inevitably become involved in a Chinese conflict with Taiwan. Marcos’s comments have also escalated PLA activity in the waters between Taiwan and the Philippines. This isn’t a theatrical display. The PLA now has the meaningful potential of defeating the U.S. military in a war over Taiwan. Xi appears to believe he can significantly up the pressure on Marcos (who faces rising domestic political pressure) without America coming to his aid.

The Trump administration must thus respond robustly here if it wishes to retain credibility in the face of China’s rising challenge. The Trump administration owes Marcos its support for reasons both of the U.S.-Philippines mutual defense treaty and Marcos’s recognition last week of U.S. pressure to clarify what he would do if war breaks out over Taiwan. In addition, these Chinese antics make clear that President Donald Trump’s recent authorization for advanced semiconductor chip exports to China will not cool Xi’s imperialist appetite. Xi plainly believes he can push the Philippines into submission without an American riposte.

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Trump should reeducate Xi. Recognizing that Xi has been emboldened by the U.S. Navy’s distraction in the Middle East, Trump should order more U.S. warships out of other operational theaters and into the Pacific. If requested by the Philippines, the U.S. Navy should support the Philippines’ coast guard vessels over the next few weeks as they operate within that country’s exclusive economic zone. If they attempt to ram the Philippines’ vessels, the U.S. should be ready to defend those vessels with force.

Xi must be made to understand that, as with the poor seamanship that has seen one warship’s bow bitten off, he is biting off more than he is ready to chew in the South China Sea.