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Chinese Coast News

02 Jan 2026

As Chinese Vessels Pull Back, Taiwan Remains on High Alert

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Taiwan remained on high alert on Wednesday after China staged massive military drills around the island the previous day, keeping its emergency maritime response centre running as it monitored Chinese naval manoeuvres, the coast guard said.The exercises named "Justice Mission 2025" saw China fire dozens of rockets towards Taiwan and deploy a large number of warships and aircraft near the island, in a show of force that drew concern from allies in the region and the west.Beijing announced late on Wednesday the completion of the drills…

31 Dec 2025

Taiwan on Alert As China Withdraws Ships from Military Drill

© Adobe Stock/Peter Hermes Furian

Taiwan remained on high alert on Wednesday after China staged massive military drills around the island the previous day, keeping its emergency maritime response centre running as it monitored Chinese naval manoeuvres, the coast guard said.The exercises named "Justice Mission 2025" saw China fire dozens of rockets towards Taiwan and deploy a large number of warships and aircraft near the island, in a show of force that drew concern from allies in the region and the west.Beijing announced late on Wednesday the completion of the drills…

30 Dec 2025

China Launches Rockets into Taiwan Waters During Military Display

© Adobe Stock/Peter Hermes Furian

China fired rockets into waters off Taiwan on Tuesday, showcased new assault ships and dismissed prospects of U.S. and allied intervention to block any future attack by Beijing to take control of the island in its most extensive war games to date.As part of drills rehearsing a blockade, China's Eastern Theatre Command conducted 10 hours of live-fire exercises, launching rockets into waters to the north and south of the democratically governed island.Chinese naval and air force units also simulated strikes on maritime and aerial targets and carried out anti-submarine drills around the island…

30 Dec 2025

China Flexes Military Might Encircling Taiwan

Lt. Cmdr. Joshua Kolar, Joint Detachment Sheridan, laid out the Indo-Pacific threat environment to Navy Reserve Center commanding officers and senior enlisted leaders, warning that China’s ambitions for Taiwan could demand the mobilization of 50,000 reservists in just 30 days. Image courtesy U.S. Navy photo by Cmdr. Jeffrey S. Gray/Released

China fired rockets into waters off Taiwan on Tuesday, showcased new assault ships and dismissed prospects of U.S. and allied intervention to block any future attack by Beijing to take control of the island in its most extensive war games to date.As part of drills rehearsing a blockade, China's Eastern Theatre Command conducted 10 hours of live-fire exercises, launching rockets into waters to the north and south of the democratically governed island.Chinese naval and air force units also simulated strikes on maritime and aerial targets and carried out anti-submarine drills around the island…

29 Dec 2025

China Launches Largest-Ever Military Drills Around Taiwan

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China launched its most extensive war games around Taiwan on Monday to showcase Beijing's ability to cut off the island from outside support in a conflict, testing Taipei's resolve to defend itself and its arsenal of U.S.-made weapons.The Eastern Theatre Command said it had deployed troops, warships, fighter jets and artillery for its "Justice Mission 2025" exercises to encircle the democratically-governed island, conduct live fire and simulated strikes on land and sea targets…

12 Dec 2025

China Expels Philippine Aircraft, Vessels in South China Sea

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China said on Friday it had driven away a Philippine aircraft and multiple vessels near disputed atolls in South China Sea, in the latest in a series of confrontations in the strategic waterway in recent years.The Chinese military said it issued strong warnings and "expelled" a Philippine aircraft that "invaded" airspace above the Scarborough Shoal, without giving a date for the incident.China claims almost the entire South China Sea, overlapping the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

12 Oct 2025

China Rams Filipino Vessel in South China Sea

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The Philippines and China accused each other on Sunday of responsibility for a maritime confrontation near disputed islands in the South China Sea, further escalating tensions in the resource-rich waterway.The Philippine Maritime Council, an inter-agency government body, blamed Chinese maritime forces for deploying water cannon and ramming a Filipino vessel near the Philippine-occupied Thitu Island, locally known as Pag-asa, "strongly condemning" the incident and vowing to pursue "appropriate diplomatic action".According to Manila's coast guard…

01 Oct 2025

China Holds Ceremony Near Atoll Claimed by Philippines

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China's coast guard held a National Day flag-raising ceremony on a ship in the waters off the disputed Scarborough Shoal, vowing to "stand guard" over the atoll, a major flashpoint for diplomatic flare-ups and maritime clashes with the Philippines.Both countries claim the triangular feature in the busy waterway of the South China Sea, but it is effectively under Beijing's control.

16 Sep 2025

China Confronts Philippine Ships with Water Cannon in South China Sea

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China's Coast Guard said on Tuesday it fired water cannon at Philippine ships near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, and the Philippines accused Beijing of "aggressive" action that injured one person.The confrontation comes a week after China approved plans to turn the shoal into a national nature reserve, a move that defence analysts have said would test Manila's response over the 150 sq km (58 sq mile) triangular chain of reefs and rocks.The Philippine coast…

12 Jun 2025

Australia to Boost Surveillance of Pacific Islands Waters For Illegal Fishing Fleets

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Australia plans to significantly boost surveillance of Pacific Islands territorial waters, spending A$477 million ($310.72 million) on aerial patrols for illegal fishing fleets, tender documents viewed by Reuters show, as China takes steps towards sending its coast guard to the region.Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will visit Fiji on Friday, the Fiji Times newspaper reported, after the government of Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka last week approved a maritime security…

29 May 2025

Philippines: China Has No Right to Argue With Lawful Activities in the South China Sea

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The Philippine foreign ministry said on Thursday that China has no right to object to or interfere with its lawful and routine activities in the South China Sea.The ministry said it also "rejects and refutes" recent statements of the Chinese embassy in Manila that Beijing has indisputable sovereignty over the Spratly islands.The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and China between them have claims and a presence on dozens of features in the Spratly archipelago, ranging from reefs and rocks to islands, natural and artificial.

28 May 2025

China (again) Flexes Naval Muscle

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China has flexed its muscles this month by sending an unusually large number of naval and coast guard vessels through a swathe of East Asian waters, according to security documents and officials, in moves that have unnerved regional capitals.Since early May, China deployed fleets larger than usual, including navy, coast guard and other ships near Taiwan, the southern Japanese islands and the East and South China Seas, according to three regional security officials and documents of regional military activities reviewed by Reuters.On May 21 and May 27…

27 May 2025

Seeking Peace in the South China Sea

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Amid ongoing maritime tensions, the Philippines signaled it is open to exploring new agreements with China aimed at preserving peace in the contested South China Sea, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said Sunday during an ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur.“Anything within the scope of diplomatic or peaceful means, or cooperation, is certainly within our template,” Manalo noted, referencing possible future arrangements despite ongoing confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels.The South China Sea…

23 May 2025

China Threatens Philippines to Stop Provocation in South China Sea

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China's foreign ministry on Friday urged the Philippines to immediately stop "infringement and provocation" in the South China Sea or face China's "resolute response."The remarks came a day after Beijing and Manila traded accusations following a confrontation between two of their vessels in contested waters of the South China Sea.It was legitimate for China to take necessary measures, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a daily press conference on Friday, defending…

22 May 2025

China, Philippines Blame Each Other for South China Sea Confrontation

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China and the Philippines traded accusations on Thursday following a confrontation between two of their vessels in contested waters of the South China Sea, the latest incident in a long-running maritime standoff in the strategic waterway.The Philippines' fisheries bureau said the lives of a civilian crew were put at risk when the Chinese Coast Guard fired water cannons and sideswiped a vessel as it conducted marine research around a disputed South China Sea reef.The Bureau of…

28 Apr 2025

Philippines: China Has Not Seized Disputed South China Sea Reef

The Philippines said on Monday there was no truth to news reports that Beijing has seized control of disputed reef Sandy Cay. Credit: Adobe Stock/Nicola

The Philippines said on Monday there was no truth to news reports that Beijing has seized control of a disputed reef in the South China Sea, after its personnel landed on the unoccupied sandbars and found no Chinese presence there.Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Friday said its coast guard had landed on Sandy Cay as part of maritime control operations to exercise its sovereignty. It did not say China was occupying the feature.CCTV showed pictures of four coast guard personnel…

15 Apr 2025

Philippines, China Accuse Each Other of Dangerous Moves in South China Sea Shoal

China and the Philippines accused each other on Tuesday of dangerous manoeuvres in a hotly disputed shoal in the South China Sea. Credit: Adobe Stock/Chaiyapuek

China and the Philippines accused each other on Tuesday of dangerous manoeuvres in a hotly disputed shoal in the South China Sea, in the latest confrontation over the waterway.A Chinese coast guard vessel sped up and manoeuvred on Monday to block the navigation route of a Philippine vessel around 36 nautical miles off the Scarborough shoal, the Philippine Coast Guard said."This incident highlights the CCG's non-compliance with the international regulations ...

28 Mar 2025

China Deploys Bombers to Assert Sovereignty in South China Sea

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China deployed two long-range H-6 bombers around the Scarborough Shoal this week, in Beijing's latest move to assert sovereignty over the hotly disputed atoll in the South China Sea, satellite images obtained by Reuters showed.The deployment, which was not publicised by China, came ahead of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's visit to the Philippines, which also claims the shoal that lies within its exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles.China's defence ministry did not…

26 Mar 2025

South Korea puts Eyes on China in Disputed Yellow Sea

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South Korea has deployed a large stationary floating platform in a disputed section of the Yellow Sea, escalating tensions with China over a contested maritime zone where both countries' exclusive economic zones (EEZs) overlap. The move, described by Seoul as a "reciprocal measure," comes in response to a growing Chinese presence in the area, which includes numerous offshore structures that China claims are for fish farming.The deployment was confirmed Wednesday by South Korean Oceans Minister Kang Do-hyung during a parliamentary session.

20 Jan 2025

U.S. Participates in South China Sea Maritime Exercise

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) sets anchors in Manila, Philippines. USS Carl Vinson is in the Philippines for a port visit, supporting operational readiness and regional partnerships. Vinson is the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 1 and deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Micheal Mensah)

It is no secret that today's focus of the U.S. Navy is preparing for the possibility of conflict in the Pacific by 2027, and a recent maritime exercise with the U.S. and the Philippines in the South China Sea - the fifth such publicized exercise - is a move that will likely irk China.The Philippine military said in a statement it held a "maritime cooperative activity" with the U.S. on Friday and Saturday, its first for the year and fifth overall since launching the joint activities in 2023.Security engagements between the two allies have soared under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.…

08 Jan 2025

Taiwan Suspects China Linked to Undersea Cable Damage

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Taiwan and China traded barbs over what the government in Taipei suspects was a Chinese-linked ship's damage to an undersea communications cable off the island's coast, an incident that has raised alarm bells on the island.The ship owner, speaking to Reuters on Wednesday, said there was no evidence the ship was involved. Taiwan's coast guard suspects the ship damaged the cable off the island's northern coast late last week, but was unable to board it to investigate due to bad weather.The coast guard said it "cannot rule out the possibility" the ship…

13 Dec 2024

China: US-backed Philippines 'provoked trouble' in South China Sea

China accused the Philippines on Friday of having "provoked trouble" in the South China Sea with U.S. backing, a week after Beijing and Manila traded accusations over a new confrontation in the disputed waters."The Philippine side, with U.S. support and solicitation, has been stirring up trouble in many spots in the South China Sea," Wu Qian, a spokesperson for China's defence ministry, said on its official WeChat account."The Philippines is well aware that the scope of its territory is determined by a series of international treaties and has never included China's" Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal, he added. Beijing and Manila have been involved this year in a series of confrontations at reefs and outcrops in the South China Sea…

09 Dec 2024

Taiwan Sounds Alarm as China Deploys 90 Ships in Military Drill

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Taiwan raised its alert level on Monday saying China has set up seven zones of reserved airspace and deployed naval fleets and coast guard boats in what a security source described as the first military drills across a broad swathe of the region's waters.A senior Taiwan security official told Reuters that China currently has nearly 90 navy and coast guard ships in waters near Taiwan, the southern Japanese islands and the East and South China Seas, of which around two-thirds were navy vessels.Beijing's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.China…