Will US Navy Attack Chinese boats in the Philippine sea ?

U.S. vows to defend Philippine boats in South China Sea

WASHINGTON -- The war of words between the U.S. and China intensified Tuesday, as U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin reaffirmed to his Philippine counterpart that an attack on a Philippine boat in the South China Sea would be subject to the Mutual Defense Treaty between the two allies.
 
The assurance came in a phone call with Philippine Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro, days after Manila released video footage of a China Coast Guard ship using a water cannon to block a Philippine boat from resupplying military personnel on an atoll.
 
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the actions of China Coast Guard vessels were in accordance with law, and that the maneuvers were "professional, restrained and beyond reproach."
 
The 1951 stipulates that an armed attack in the Pacific area on one party will be deemed dangerous to the other's own peace and safety, and would lead to action.
 
Successive U.S. administrations have offered similar assurances regarding the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. U.S. allies in the region will be watching to see how serious Washington is about keeping its treaty commitments.