The presence of a United States' aircraft carrier group in the South China Sea and the report that the US military will return to Subic Bay in the Philippines has sent worrying signals that the US and the Philippines are about to stir up trouble.

Recently, the waters around Huangyan Island in the South China Sea have been calm after a tense standoff between China and the Philippines in April, which was triggered by the Philippine navy's harassment of Chinese fishermen operating legally in China's territorial sea.

However, although the dispute had cooled, the arrival of the USS George Washington in the South China Sea on Saturday and media reports saying it will sail through the waters around Huangyan Island, known as Scarborough Shoal in the West, before it arrives at the Philippines on Wednesday, suggest the Philippines and the US are looking to raise the temperature again.