As dawn slowly broke on the horizon, a large fleet of Chinese vessels came into view from the deck of a Philippine Coast Guard ship as it entered the contested waters of the South China Sea. Significantly outnumbered by the number of Chinese vessels, the four ships in the Philippine convoy on a resupply mission to troops were quickly surrounded and separated during a frantic high seas skirmish on Tuesday morning. Within just a few hours, the window of one Philippine boat would be shattered by water cannon and four sailors aboard would be injured. China’s determination to assert its disputed sovereignty over the entirety of the vast South China Sea has sparked increasing clashes with its neighbors in recent years, particularly the Philippines, which is a mutual defense ally of the United States. Video released by the Philippine military shows the windshield of a Philippine boat being shattered by…