evidence: The Chinese military has constructed a number of military outposts on occupied and reclaimed features in the Spratly Islands and steadily equipped these outposts with an increasing array of advanced military capabilities, Ford said. "The [Chinese military] has sharply increased coercive and risky operational behavior in the air and at sea, threatening lawfully operating American, allied and partner forces," she said. "This includes sinking Vietnamese fishing vessels, using military aircraft to harass Malaysian offshore energy exploration, flying within 20 feet of U.S. military aircraft and deploying water cannons and military grade lasers to block and target Philippine resupply boats headed toward Second Thomas Shoal." [...] Partners across the region and beyond have condemned the Chinese behavior in the South China Sea. These include Australia, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom and the European Union. "All protested the aggressive [Chinese] maneuvers that we saw against the Philippines at the Second Thomas Shoal," she said.