On February 6, 2023, the China Coast Guard and Philippine Coast Guard had an encounter near the Second Thomas Shoal, one of the features of the Spratly Islands which is subject to a wider dispute in the South China Sea. The Second Thomas Shoal is claimed by multiple countries, including China and the Philippines. The latter controls the feature by having grounded the BRP Sierra Madre on the shoal. The BRP Malapascua of the Philippine Coast Guard was heading towards the shoal for a rotation and rotation and resupply mission for the BRP Sierra Madre crew when CCG 5205 of the China Coast Guard blocked the Filipino coast guard ship to act what it views as an intrusion of the Philippine vessel and aimed a green laser light towards it. The Philippine side alleged the laser was "military grade" and caused its crew to suffer from temporary blindness, which China denies. The incident led to the Philippines filing a diplomatic protest. Incident According to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the BRP Malapascua was aiding the Philippine Navy in conducting a rotation and resupply (RoRE) mission on February 6, 2023 when a ship from the China Coast Guard (CCG) with the with bow number 5205 deliberate blocked the coast guard ship from delivering food and supply to the crew of the grounded BRP Sierra Madre at the Philippines-controlled Second Thomas Shoal. BRP Malapascua was away from Second Thomas Shoal when the CCG vessel was spotted ahead and was maneuvering from its left to block the PCG ship. The CCG ship beamed a green laser twice, which it claims to be of "military-grade", against the PCG ship caused its crew to suffer from temporary blindness. The PCG also added that the Chinese ship came close as to the right of BRP Malapascua. BRP Malapascua then headed towards Nanshan Island to resume its maritime patrol and RoRE mission to stations within the Spratlys along with BRP Teresa Magbanua Reactions Philippines On February 14, 2023, President Bongbong Marcos summoned Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian over the incident to express concern over "the increasing frequency and intensity of actions" of China against the Philippine Coast Guard and Filipino fishermen. The Department of Foreign Affairs also filed a formal diplomatic protest. Responding to an inquiry by the media, Marcos said that while the incident is clearly an "act of aggression", it is not enough