Philippines' NEWS
NEWS
New Rules Tighten Beijing's Control at Scarborough Shoal

China issued a new policy for administering its self-declared national nature reserve at Scarborough Shoal, including bans on unauthorized fishing and other activities. The shoal lies within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone but has been under effective Chinese control since 2012. Manila rejects Beijing's authority there and says China's enforcement measures infringe Philippine rights. Source: (Full article...)

Water Cannons Strike Philippine Vessels for a Second Straight Day

Philippine authorities accused the China Coast Guard of firing water cannons at government vessels near Scarborough Shoal for a second consecutive day. Manila said the actions endangered crews and disrupted support for Filipino fishermen, while Beijing said the vessels had entered waters it claims and that its actions were lawful. Source: (Full article...)

Filipino Sailor Injured After Baton Strike at Second Thomas Shoal

The Philippines said a navy sailor suffered a head injury after being struck with a wooden baton by Chinese Coast Guard personnel during a confrontation at Second Thomas Shoal. China disputed Manila's account and accused Philippine personnel of aggressive behavior. The incident triggered diplomatic protests from both governments. Source: (Full article...)

Fishermen Say Chinese Harassment Has Driven Them Away From Scarborough

A decade after an international tribunal rejected the legal basis for China's sweeping South China Sea claims, Filipino fishermen told Reuters they were increasingly afraid to fish at Scarborough Shoal. They described being driven away by Chinese vessels, threatened with water cannons and losing access to traditional fishing grounds. Source: (Full article...)

Floating Structure at Scarborough Prompts Formal Diplomatic Action

Manila took diplomatic action after satellite images showed a floating structure near the entrance to Scarborough Shoal. Philippine officials called the structure's presence illegal and rejected China's claim that activity there was legitimate under Chinese sovereignty. The incident raised fears that Beijing could gradually establish more permanent control over the atoll. Source: (Full article...)

Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Targeted by Chinese Sanctions

Beijing imposed sanctions on Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and his family after he publicly described China as a serious territorial and political threat. The measures barred them from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau and prohibited Chinese organizations from doing business with them. Manila said Teodoro would continue carrying out his duties. Source: (Full article...)

Combat-Readiness Patrols Increase Pressure Around Scarborough

Chinese naval and air forces conducted combat-readiness patrols around Scarborough Shoal while the Philippines and its allies carried out military exercises nearby. Manila protested Beijing's territorial assertions, saying they infringed Philippine sovereignty and violated international law. Source: (Full article...)

Sensitive Philippine Resupply Data Allegedly Reached Chinese Intelligence

A Philippine security official said operational information about resupply missions in the South China Sea had been leaked to Chinese intelligence. Such missions are highly sensitive because Philippine forces at Second Thomas Shoal depend on them and Chinese vessels have repeatedly sought to monitor or obstruct those operations. Source: (Full article...)

Filipinos Apprehended on Suspicion of Spying for China

Philippine authorities apprehended Filipino nationals suspected of providing sensitive information to China. Officials said the case added to growing concern about espionage directed at military installations and critical infrastructure. Beijing has rejected broader Philippine allegations of Chinese spying as politically motivated. Source: (Full article...)

Philippine Government Aircraft Driven Away From Scarborough

China's military said it deployed naval and air forces to warn and drive away a Philippine government aircraft flying over Scarborough Shoal. Manila rejects Beijing's claim of sovereignty over the atoll and continues to conduct patrols there, making control of the airspace another source of confrontation. Source: (Full article...)

Water Cannon Attack Near Sabina Shoal Injures Filipino Fishermen

Philippine officials said Chinese maritime forces used water cannons and cut anchor lines during an encounter near Sabina Shoal, injuring three Filipino fishermen and damaging two fishing boats. Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro condemned the actions as dangerous and inhumane, while China defended its conduct as lawful. Source: (Full article...)

Philippine-U.S. Patrol Closely Shadowed by Chinese Military

China's military said it monitored a Philippine patrol conducted with the United States in the South China Sea. The operation demonstrated Beijing's continued surveillance of Philippine security cooperation with Washington and its opposition to allied military activity in waters China broadly claims. Source: (Full article...)

Government Fisheries Vessel Rammed After Water Cannon Attack

The Philippines accused a Chinese Coast Guard ship of firing a water cannon directly at a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel near Sandy Cay and then ramming its stern. The vessel suffered damage while taking part in a government program intended to support Filipino fishermen. Source: (Full article...)

Covert Online Campaign Tried to Shape Filipino Opinion

Documents reviewed by Reuters described a covert Chinese influence operation in the Philippines involving fake social media accounts that posed as Filipino users, promoted pro-Beijing narratives and attacked support for the U.S.-Philippine alliance. The campaign also involved a propaganda outlet made to resemble local media. Source: (Full article...)

Flag-Raising Ceremony Used to Assert Control Over Scarborough

The China Coast Guard held a National Day flag-raising ceremony aboard a patrol vessel near Scarborough Shoal and pledged to guard the surrounding waters. The highly symbolic event reinforced Beijing's claim of control over an atoll also claimed by the Philippines and located within Manila's exclusive economic zone. Source: (Full article...)

Beijing Declares a Nature Reserve on Philippine-Claimed Shoal

China approved creation of a national nature reserve at Scarborough Shoal. The Philippines condemned the move as a pretext for occupation and said Beijing had no right to establish the reserve in waters where Manila maintains sovereign rights under international law. Source: (Full article...)

Fisheries Boats Face New Water Cannon Tactics Near Sandy Cay

The Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources accused China's coast guard of aggressive interference against two government vessels near Sandy Cay and Subi Reef. Manila said water cannons were used in an area where its fisheries ships had not previously encountered that tactic. Source: (Full article...)

Chinese Flag Landing at Sandy Cay Sparks Sovereignty Alarm

Chinese state media published images of coast guard personnel landing on Sandy Cay and raising China's flag. Philippine officials later visited the sandbars and said China had not permanently seized them, but the landing heightened concern over Beijing's attempts to demonstrate possession of disputed features near Philippine-held Thitu Island. Source: (Full article...)

Three Filipinos Arrested in China as Manila Suspects Retaliation

The Philippines expressed alarm after China arrested three Filipino citizens on espionage charges. Manila said the men were ordinary former scholarship recipients and suggested their arrests could be retaliation for Philippine investigations of alleged Chinese spies. Beijing said the men had gathered classified information. Source: (Full article...)

CCP-Linked Groups Donated Cash and Motorbikes to Philippine Authorities

Reuters found that Chinese nationals accused by the Philippines of espionage had led civic groups connected to the Chinese Communist Party's foreign influence network. Those groups donated cash to a Philippine city and motorcycles to police units, while several of the suspects also met China's defence attaché in Manila. Source: (Full article...)

Suspected Spy Arrested With Equipment Used Near Philippine Military Sites

Philippine law-enforcement officials arrested a Chinese national on suspicion of espionage after recovering equipment they said could be used to gather information on military facilities. The arrest intensified concern about Chinese intelligence activity inside the Philippines. Source: (Full article...)

Fisheries Boat Side-Swiped and Water-Cannoned at Scarborough

Philippine officials said Chinese Coast Guard vessels fired water cannons at a fisheries bureau boat and side-swiped it while the vessel was carrying supplies to Filipino fishermen near Scarborough Shoal. Manila described the actions as aggressive and excessive; China said Philippine vessels had entered waters it claims. Source: (Full article...)

New Philippine Maritime Laws Draw a Chinese Diplomatic Summons

China summoned the Philippine ambassador after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed laws defining the country's maritime zones and archipelagic sea lanes. Beijing said the laws infringed Chinese sovereignty, while Manila said they clarified Philippine jurisdiction in accordance with international law and the 2016 arbitral ruling. Source: (Full article...)

Chinese Fighter Drops Flares in Front of Philippine Patrol Aircraft

Philippine officials accused a Chinese fighter aircraft of deploying flares dangerously close to a Philippine patrol plane near Scarborough Shoal. Manila called the action coercive and aggressive and said it endangered the aircraft and crew; Beijing said the Philippine plane had entered Chinese-claimed airspace. Source: (Full article...)

Violent Boarding Leaves Sailor Without a Finger

A June 2024 resupply mission to Second Thomas Shoal turned violent after what Manila described as intentional high-speed ramming by the China Coast Guard. A Filipino sailor lost a finger, and Philippine officials said Chinese personnel boarded boats, damaged equipment and seized firearms. Beijing disputed Manila's description of the encounter. Source: (Full article...)

Detention Rules Threaten Filipinos in Waters Claimed by Beijing

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called new China Coast Guard rules 'worrisome' because they allowed detention of foreigners suspected of trespassing in waters Beijing claims. Manila said the rules threatened Filipino fishermen and represented another escalation in areas that fall within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. Source: (Full article...)

Military Chief Accuses Beijing of a 'Malign Influence Effort'

Philippine military chief Romeo Brawner accused China of a malign influence operation after reports surfaced about an alleged secret arrangement between a Philippine vice admiral and Beijing concerning South China Sea resupply missions. Manila said the episode appeared intended to sow division and distract from Chinese maritime pressure. Source: (Full article...)

Water Cannons Damage Two Government Vessels Near Scarborough

The Philippines said Chinese Coast Guard ships fired water cannons that damaged a coast guard vessel and a fisheries boat on their way to assist Filipino fishermen near Scarborough Shoal. Manila also said China installed a new floating barrier at the shoal's entrance to restrict access. Source: (Full article...)

China-Based Hackers Target Marcos and Philippine Government Networks

Philippine officials said hackers operating from China attempted to break into the president's website and email systems belonging to government agencies, including one involved in maritime security. The attempts failed, and Beijing said it opposed cyberattacks and did not tolerate illegal use of Chinese infrastructure. Source: (Full article...)

Floating Barrier Again Blocks the Entrance to Scarborough

Satellite images in February 2024 showed another floating barrier at the entrance to Scarborough Shoal after Chinese and Philippine vessels had repeatedly confronted one another there. Philippine officials said Chinese ships used barriers to deter government vessels and fishermen from entering a traditional fishing ground. Source: (Full article...)