Two Philippine maritime patrols challenged the presence of China’s warships and cutters at Scarborough Shoal over the last few days, marking Manila’s latest effort to push back against Beijing’s claims over the South China Sea maritime feature.
Last Friday saw a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources maritime domain awareness flight receive up to 40 warnings from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warships and aircraft operating around Scarborough. According to a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) statement, the patrol was shadowed by a Chinese fighter jet and a naval helicopter.
“The flight documented illegal Chinese presence and aggressive interference in Bajo de Masinloc, an area integral to the Philippines’ sovereignty and jurisdiction,” stated the PCG release.
The patrol recorded the Type 052D guided-missile destroyer Zhanjiang (165) and Type 054A frigate Dali (553) sailing in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal. Major surface combatants of the PLA Southern Theater Command have routinely deployed to Scarborough Shoal to stake Beijing’s claims against Philippine forces. On China’s national day, the PLA held combat drills around the shoal involving J-16 fighters, H-6 bombers equipped with YJ-12 anti-ship missiles and up to three Type 054A frigates. Beijing claims that these drills “firmly safeguard China’s sovereignty and security while maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea.”
On Sunday, the PCG dispatched the Parola-class multi-role response vessel BRP Cabra (MRRV-4409) to shadow Chinese forces and assert Philippine presence in the area. Cabra tracked the China Coast Guard 4305 Zhaoduan-class and 3305 Zhaoyu-class large patrol ships off Western Luzon on Sunday morning. Manila stated that the PCG vessel repeatedly challenged the Chinese cutters and demanded that they depart Philippine waters.
A PCG release highlighted that the patrols were meant to “protect national sovereignty and prevent the normalization of unlawful Chinese presence.”
These missions come amid increased tensions over the disputed shoal and a heightened American military presence in the region following the arrival of the USS George Washington (CVN-73). USNI News first reported the carrier strike group’s arrival and noted that its posture follows the departure of the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) carrier strike group. With George Washington‘s arrival, the U.S. has maintained a steady carrier posture in the South China Sea since the beginning of November.
“The PCG’s decision to shadow Chinese vessels around Scarborough Shoal highlights the more assertive operational posture that Manila has been developing in recent years,” Benjamin Blandin, a maritime security expert and non-resident research fellow at the Korean Institute for Maritime Strategy, told Naval News.Â
“By maintaining a continuous presence and publicly reporting these encounters, the Philippines is signaling resolve while also shaping the information environment. The timing—coinciding with the USS George Washington carrier strike group’s presence in the region, as well as recent exercises with Japan—underlines Manila’s growing diplomatic and security alignment with its partners and adds another layer of deterrence,” Blandin said.
