South China Sea News

China's military and coast guard conducted patrols in the airspace and waters near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on Thursday, separate statements showed.Tensions have recently flared between China and the Philippines amid repeated maritime disputes and confrontations in the South China Sea, which China claims almost entirely as its own despite overlapping claims by Southeast Asian nations.China's Coast Guard said in a statement it took necessary measures, including a verbal warning, blocking and water cannon shooting in accordance with the law and regulations to expel i

Rescuers were searching on Sunday for 17 people still missing after a Vietnamese ship sank in the busy waterway of the South China Sea, while 45 have been pulled from the waters since Saturday night, China's state broadcaster CCTV said.Chinese authorities said the cargo vessel Khoi Nguyen 18, with 62 Vietnamese nationals aboard, ran into distress in waters near Fiery Cross Reef, CCTV added.A distress flare from the vessel was first spotted by a Chinese rescue ship, the Nanhai Jiu 115…

The foreign ministers of the Philippines and China met in Manila on Wednesday and both made "strong" protests over an encounter between the two countries' vessels this week in contested South China Sea waters.The Philippine foreign affairs secretary, Maria Theresa Lazaro, said in an X post that she reiterated the protest over what she called "unacceptable actions against Filipino personnel", while Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was quoted by an official readout as lodging a…

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will summon China's ambassador in Manila, his office said on Tuesday, hours after Manila's envoy in Beijing was similarly summoned following accusations by both sides of provoking tensions in the contested South China Sea.Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro confirmed to reporters Marcos had summoned Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan at 5 p.m. (0900 GMT) on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, China's foreign ministry said it summoned…

The Middle East crisis cast a shadow over a diplomatic gathering in Southeast Asia on Tuesday, where foreign ministers voiced serious concern over renewed hostilities that add to uncertainty in a region grappling to manage tensions and conflicts of its own.Foreign ministers from the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and major partners have meetings in Manila this week against a backdrop of instability since the U.S. and Iran resumed open conflict, raising fears about energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz…

China's military and coast guard said they carried out patrols near disputed waters in the South China Sea on Sunday, a day after the Philippines said it remained under threat from Beijing despite a recent easing in U.S.-China tensions.Philippine and U.S. forces held a five-day maritime exercise in the same waters last week near the Scarborough Shoal, the third such drill this year, to strengthen interoperability and maritime security, the Philippine military said on Sunday.Scarborough Shoal…

A Chinese coast guard ship left waters near Taiwan's strategically located Pratas Islands at the top of the South China Sea on Sunday following a tense standoff and verbal sparring between the coast guards, Taiwan's Coast Guard said.China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, a position the government in Taipei rejects.China has pressured Taiwan by increasing its military presence around the island, and Taipei is on high alert for further Chinese actions after President Xi Jinping discussed Taiwan with U.S.

China conducted military drills recently including live-fire exercises in waters east of the Philippines' Luzon Island, it said on Friday, as Manila and Washington host annual drills that extend towards disputed areas of the South China Sea.Over 17,000 troops from the U.S., the Philippines and allies began their annual Balikatan military exercises this week, with combat troops from Japan joining for the first time amid persistent strains between Tokyo and Beijing.The Chinese military's…

The Philippines said on Monday it rejected Beijing's assertion of sovereignty over the entire South China Sea, disputing a claim by China's embassy that a Filipino diplomat had once conceded the disputed Scarborough Shoal was not part of Philippine territory."China must be reminded that maritime and territorial claims are subject to established international legal procedures and dispute settlement mechanisms, not through unilateral proclamations or social media posts," Philippine foreign ministry spokesperson Rogelio Villanueva told a briefing.Villanueva said the Philippines had "indivisible…

The Philippines' ambassador to the United States on Tuesday underscored the need to "cool" the temperature with China, after both sides signaled their willingness to set aside tensions in the South China Sea and explore areas of economic cooperation.Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said Manila's relationship with Beijing should not be defined solely by maritime disputes, even as the Philippines continues to call out actions it deems unlawful."We have a continuing bilateral conversation with them," Romualdez told reporters.

The militaries of the Philippines and the United States sailed together this week at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, Manila's armed forces said on Tuesday, in joint exercises aimed at easing cooperation between the treaty allies.Military engagements between them have soared under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has pivoted closer to Washington in response to China's growing presence in the South China Sea.The 11th such drill between the United States and…

The Chinese military said on Tuesday it had organised naval and air forces to warn and drive away a Philippine government aircraft which "illegally intruded" into the airspace over Scarborough Shoal, a disputed atoll in the South China Sea."We urge the Philippine side to immediately stop infringing upon China's rights and cease provocations and irresponsible hype," a spokesperson for the military's Southern Theatre Command said in a statement.The Philippine Embassy in Beijing, the Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine National Maritime Council did not immediately respond to requests for co

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.

The work of Australia's defence force to protect its sea trade routes, including through the South China Sea, is becoming more risky as Beijing undertakes the "biggest military build-up in the world today", Australia's defence minister said on Tuesday.Open sea lanes, including trade routes that go through the South China Sea and East China Sea, were at the core of Australia's national interest, Richard Marles said in an opening speech at a navy conference in Sydney."That work is challenging and in truth it is becoming increasingly risky.

The Philippine and Indian navies have sailed together for the first time in the South China Sea, officials said on Monday, as President Ferdinand Marcos left Manila for New Delhi for a state visit.The Philippines has conducted "maritime cooperative activities" with foreign navies since late 2023 as part of its push to counter China's expansive claims in the waterway, including joint passages with treaty ally the United States, as well as Japan, Australia, France and Canada.An Indian official said the passage was in the West Philippine Sea and part of a bilateral exercise with Manila…

The Philippines and Canada signed a pact on Sunday for their armed forces to train on each other's soil, boosting defense cooperation to tackle common security concerns in the Indo-Pacific region.Canada's first such deal in the region, the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) takes to five the number of accords on troops Manila has concluded with allies, in the face of China's increasingly assertive regional stance.The deal broadens the Philippines' network of security ties while complementing a long-standing alliance with its treaty partner…

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…

The Philippines expressed serious concern on Tuesday over what it described as "dangerous manoeuvres and unlawful interference" by Chinese vessels during a coast guard supply mission for Filipino fishermen in the Scarborough Shoal on Monday."Their actions not only posed a grave danger to Philippine personnel and vessels, but also resulted in the unfortunate collision between the two Chinese vessels," the Philippine foreign ministry said in a statement.A Chinese navy ship collided…

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…

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.

China's military said on Wednesday it monitored and "drove away" a U.S. destroyer that sailed near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, while the U.S. Navy said its action was in line with international law.The first known U.S. military operation in at least six years within the shoal's waters came a day after the Philippines accused Chinese vessels of "dangerous manoeuvres and unlawful interference" during a supply mission around the atoll.In a statement, the…

The navies of the Philippines, Australia and Canada were conducting a joint sail in the South China Sea on Tuesday, an area of flaring tensions following a collision between two Chinese vessels last week.The Philippine frigate BRP Jose Rizal, Australian destroyer HMAS Brisbane and Canadian frigate HMCS Ville de Quebec were participating in the operation, which a Philippine military official said was not directed at any country."Our activity is based on the premise that the exercise is anchored on the free and open Indo-Pacific with peace and prosperity in the region…

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday said the U.S.