What an embarrassing performance... someone shall certainly be court-martialed for this. Why exactly the PLAN brought such a large ship into such close quarters is a question that must also be asked.
We must also ask if the PLAN and CCG share the necessary communication channels to coordinate the prevention of such incidents in the first place. Why did both ships pursue so tightly? One should think that the risk of a collision is readily apparent, and steps should be taken to communicate and avoid a collision.
We must also question the behavior of the PLAN and CCG ships following the collision. As I understand it, the CCG personnel are likely in the custody of the Filipinos. If this is true, it is unacceptable. Not only do these two captains engage in a reckless and ill-advised (particularly in the case of the PLAN vessel) pursuit, but after the almost-inevitable collision, they flee without attempting to rescue their own men.
I hope this incident results in some reconsideration of deployment tactics in the SCS, and that the PLAN especially stops bringing such massive guided-missile destroyers into knife-fighting range of ships far smaller, lighter, and nimbler than themselves.
