It’s hard to call the collision of two multi-thousand-ton military ships “fortunate,” but that’s exactly what analysts are saying about the incident in the South China Sea this week that left a China Coast Guard ship with a heavily damaged bow after it hit a People’s Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro rejected yesterday claims that the Philippines should be held responsible and even pay for the damage caused by a recent collision involving China’s own ships in the West Philippine Sea.