As China pushes to dominate the South China Sea, it is increasingly willing to use force to drive out the Philippines. In recent months, China’s tactics have raised fears of a superpower showdown in the strategic waterway.

The storm has killed at least 13 people in the Philippines and is forecast to be the strongest to hit Hainan Province in a decade.

The United States condemned the episode near Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea and reaffirmed its defense treaty with Manila.

More than 200 civilian settlers on a contested island in the South China Sea find themselves on the frontier of a possible conflict with China.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III warned Beijing against engaging in hostilities with U.S. allies in the South and East China Seas.

The storm has already left a trail of destruction in Taiwan and the Philippines, where it killed at least 15 people.

The storm, weaker but still dangerous, made landfall just before 8 p.m. local time. Six sailors were still missing after a cargo ship sank near Taiwan.

Typhoon Gaemi made landfall on the island with Category 3 winds Wednesday night after killing at least six people in the region.