SO many people seem to believe the US-China proxy war is well on its way, but that it needs a big bang to launch it, not just a nonlethal coast guard water-cannoning incident in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal. The Ayungin incidents have been hyped as acts of Chinese aggression, but no weapons of war have been used, and there have been no casualties; they seem totally incapable of triggering even a small war.

Additionally, there are unverified claims that the two sides have reached an 'internal agreement' on how to manage their maritime conflict and avoid further incidents. So how does the big proxy war begin?