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Saturday, July 12, 2025

South China Sea News

01 Jul 2025

China Sanctions Former Philippine Senator Over Maritime Tensions

Francis Tolentino. © Francis Tolentino/LinkedIn

China sanctioned former Philippine senator Francis Tolentino on Tuesday and barred him entry, citing "egregious conduct" on matters such as the disputed South China Sea a day after the end of his six-year term.Tolentino, who lost his bid for a second term in midterm elections, had canvassed on his efforts to bring in laws last year defining the country's sea lanes and maritime zones, which China opposed.A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry accused some Filipino politicians of making "malicious remarks and moves" that hurt ties between the two nations."The Chinese government is firml

30 Jun 2025

Military Leaders To Establish A "One-Theatre" Approach in the East and South China Seas

© Adobe Stock/Peter Hermes Furian

Military leaders are working to enforce a "one-theatre" concept in both the East and South China seas, the Philippines' defence minister said on Monday, adding that the Southeast Asian country facesthreats in disputed waters that are similar to Japan's.Japanese newspaper Asahi reported in April that Japanese defence minister Gen Nakatani made a proposal to U.S. Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth to consider the East China Sea, the South China Sea, the Korean Peninsula and surrounding areas as a single "theatre"…

16 Jun 2025

US Warships Arrive in Australia, Prep for War Games, Summit

Two F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 242, prepare to land on the flight deck of the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) while conducting flight operations in the Philippine Sea, June 1. America, lead ship of the America Amphibious Ready Group, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and pa

A key U.S. warship arrived in Australia on Saturday ahead of joint war games and the first summit between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President Donald Trump, which is expected to be dominated by military issues.The America, the U.S. Navy's lead amphibious assault ship in the Indo-Pacific, entered Sydney Harbour as the first of three ships in a strike group carrying 2,500 sailors and marines, submarine-hunting helicopters and F-35B fighter jets.More than 30,000 personnel from 19 militaries have begun to arrive in Australia for Talisman Sabre, the largest Australian-U.S.

29 May 2025

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

© Adobe Stock/David Alary

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

Chinese Bombers Seen on Disputed South China Sea Island

© Adobe Stock/Manuel Mata

Satellite imagery shows China landed two of its most advanced bombers in the disputed Paracel islands in the South China Sea this month - a gesture that some analysts described as Beijing's latest signalling of its growing military capabilities to rivals.The deployment marks the first time the long-range H-6 bombers have landed on Woody Island in the Paracels since 2020, and the movement of the now upgraded aircraft comes amid tensions with the Philippines, operations near Taiwan…

28 May 2025

China (again) Flexes Naval Muscle

Copyright VanderWolf Images/AdobeStock

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

Copyright Peter Hermes Furian/AdobeStock

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

© Adobe Stock/atdr - stock.adobe.com

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

© Adobe Stock/Peter Hermes Furian

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…

01 May 2025

Indonesia Parliament to Ratify EEZ Boundaries with Vietnam

Indonesia's parliament is set to agree next week to ratify an agreement made with Vietnam that sets the boundaries of their exclusive economic zones in the contested South China Sea. Credit: Adobe Stock/pavalena

Indonesia's parliament is set to agree next week to ratify an agreement made with Vietnam that sets the boundaries of their exclusive economic zones in the contested South China Sea, a lawmaker said on Thursday.The South China Sea is a strategic waterway that has been a source of tension between China and its Southeast Asian neighbours, disrupting fishing and energy exploration in the area.Nico Siahaan, a lawmaker in the parliamentary commission overseeing the agreement, told Reuters the parliament and the government would formally agree to ratify it on Monday…

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…

21 Apr 2025

Philippines, US: Annual Joint Combat Drills Begin in "Full Battle Test"

More than 14,000 Filipino and American soldiers kicked off annual military exercises on Monday for a "full battle test" between the two defence treaty allies. Credit: Adobe Stock/da_on

More than 14,000 Filipino and American soldiers kicked off annual military exercises on Monday for a "full battle test" between the two defense treaty allies in the face of regional security concerns, including tensions in the South China Sea.The annual "Balikatan" (shoulder-to-shoulder) exercises will run for three weeks until May 9, showcasing an array of U.S. weapons that include the NMESIS anti-ship missile system and HIMARS rocket launchers.The Philippines will test its own modern missiles in live-fire exercises with American counterparts…

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 ...

15 Apr 2025

US Joins Annual Joint Military Drills in the Philippines Amidst South China Sea Tensions

The United States is deploying around 9,000 troops to the Philippines for this year's joint military exercises, as the allies strengthen ties amid tensions with China over its activities in the South China Sea and in Taiwan. Credit: Adobe Stock/atdr

The United States is deploying around 9,000 troops to the Philippines for this year's joint military exercises, as the allies strengthen ties amid tensions with China over its activities in the South China Sea and in Taiwan.The annual drills, which the Philippine military on Tuesday described as a rehearsal for national defense, will include 5,000 Filipino troops, 200 from the Australia Defence Force, and observers from the Japan Self-Defence Force.For the first time, observers…

09 Apr 2025

China: Philippines Sent Supplies to Warship at Disputed Atoll

China's coast guard said on Thursday it had allowed a Philippine civilian vessel to deliver provisions to a warship "illegally grounded" at the Second Thomas Shoal, a disputed atoll in the South China Sea. Credit: Adobe Stock/atdr

China's coast guard said on Thursday it had allowed a Philippine civilian vessel to deliver provisions to a warship "illegally grounded" at the Second Thomas Shoal, a disputed atoll in the South China Sea.The coast guard questioned and monitored the Philippine vessel throughout its supply mission, it said in a statement, urging the Philippines to work with China to manage the maritime situation.The Philippine embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.China and the Philippines have traded barbs for months over manoeuvres at Second Thomas Shoal, an atoll within Mani

28 Mar 2025

China Deploys Bombers to Assert Sovereignty in South China Sea

© Peter Hermes Furian / Adobe Stock

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…

28 Mar 2025

China Issues Warning for Falling Rocket Debris in South China Sea:

© atdr / Adobe Stock

China's maritime authority has issued a warning of falling rocket debris in the South China Sea, according to a notice dated March 26.The warning covers a period between 1600 and 1700 GMT on March 29, the Maritime Safety Administration said.The debris is expected to land in the sea in an area west of the Bashi Channel, a waterway between the Philippines and Taiwan, according to the coordinates provided.(Reuters)

19 Mar 2025

Philippines Look to Include India, South Korea in Squad Group

The Philippines and its allies are trying to expand the Squad grouping of nations to include India and South Korea to counter China in the Indo-Pacific region. Credit: Adobe Stock/Darren Green

The Philippines and its allies are trying to expand the Squad grouping of nations to include India and South Korea to counter China in the Indo-Pacific region, the Philippines' Armed Forces chief General Romeo S. Brawner said on Wednesday.The Squad is an informal multilateral grouping made up of Australia, Japan, the Philippines and the United States, whose defence forces have conducted joint maritime activities in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea…

26 Jan 2025

Philippines Suspends Survey After “Harassment”

© pingebat / Adobe Stock

The Philippines said on Saturday it has suspended a scientific survey in the South China Sea after two of its fisheries vessels faced "harassment" and aggressive behaviour from China's coast guard and navy.Manila and Beijing have had a series of escalating confrontations in disputed waters of the South China Sea. China claims almost all the strategic waterway - through which $3 trillion in commerce moves annually - overlapping sovereignty claims by the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.Two Philippine fisheries vessels…

09 Dec 2024

Taiwan Sounds Alarm as China Deploys 90 Ships in Military Drill

© Jiraphat / Adobe Stock

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…

06 Dec 2024

Philippines, Partners Hold Drills in the South China Sea

Two F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 151, fly over the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). Abraham Lincoln, flagship of Carrier Strike Group Three, is underway conducting routine operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass

The Philippines held maritime drills with the United States and Japan inside its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, its military said on Friday, two days after a maritime confrontation with Beijing around a disputed shoal.The drills, which brought together a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft, Philippine Navy ship BRP Andres Bonifacio and a C-90 small plane, and Japan's Murasame-class destroyer JS Samidare, are the Philippines' latest round of exercises with allies…

04 Dec 2024

Philippines and China Dispute Over South China Sea Incident Escalates

© prehistorik / Adobe Stock

China and the Philippines gave conflicting versions on Wednesday of a maritime confrontation around a contested shoal in the South China Sea, the latest row in a longstanding dispute between the neighbours.Chinese coast guard vessels fired water cannons and side-swiped a Manila fisheries bureau boat on the way to deliver supplies to Filipino fishermen in the area, according to Philippines officials, a move that drew condemnation from the United States.The incident follows a diplomatic…

28 Nov 2024

Chinese Ships Group Together Near Philippines’ Key Island Outpost in South China Sea

© Chaiyapuek / Adobe Stock

Satellite images obtained by Reuters on Thursday show a build-up of Chinese civilian vessels near contested Thitu Island, Manila's key outpost in the South China Sea, but a senior Philippine navy officer said they are "not a cause for concern".One of the images taken by Maxar Technologies on Monday and reviewed by Reuters shows about 60 vessels, some within 2 nautical miles of Thitu, a strategically important island from which Manila monitors Chinese vessels and aircraft in the busy waterway.Vice Admiral Alfonso Torres…