ASEANEWS HEADLINE-ASIA GEOPOLITICS | West Philippine Sea (WPS): China boosts patrols around disputed shoal
CHINA’s military said on Friday its naval and air forces conducted combat readiness patrols around Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal, which has long been a flash point in tensions between Beijing and Manila in the South China Sea (SCS).
The People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command, in a statement, said the patrols were “necessary countermeasures in response to the Philippines’ rights violation and provocative acts,” and it has strengthened such patrols this month.
The Philippine Embassy in Beijing and the Philippine military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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From left, Philippines Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Australia Defense Minister Richard Marles, Japan Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and U.S.Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth prepare to leave after posing for pictures before holding a Quadrilateral Meeting on the sidelines of the 20th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and 13th ADMM-Plus Meetings in Cebu, Philippines, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. .(Rolex Dela Pena/Pool Photo via AP)
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WATCH VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3copQewQwg
.A bitter sea battle is ongoing between China and its neighbours over access to the South China Sea. Fishers from the Philippines report being intimidated and attacked by militarised Chinese fishing boats when they try and fish in the rich waters off the Scarborough Shoals, forcing them to fish closer to home. China-Philippines: The Sea Battle | ARTE.tv Documentary
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Tensions between China and the Philippines resurfaced at the close of a two-day Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) defense gathering on Thursday, with Beijing accusing an unnamed Philippine politician of obstructing its participation in the event. Manila said China had been given an opportunity at the meeting to state its position.
China claims sovereignty over almost the entire SCS via a nine-dash line on its maps that cuts into parts of the exclusive economic zones of Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and Indonesia. An international arbitral tribunal ruled in 2016 that China’s sweeping claims have no basis under international law, a decision Beijing rejects.
“Such patrols are aimed at further enhancing control and management over relevant waters and airspace, and serve as an effective countermeasure to cope with all sorts of rights violation and provocative acts,” the Chinese military said.
Separately, the China Coast Guard also conducted law-enforcement patrols in the waters around the shoal on Friday, calling the activities “necessary countermeasure in response to the Philippines’ rights violation and provocative acts.”
Neither the Chinese military nor the China Coast Guard gave details on which Philippine actions they were referring to.
Warning that the international community is approaching a geopolitical “precipice,” Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro defended the rule of law, declaring that maritime security in the Indo-Pacific has become an indivisible global responsibility.
Speaking at the 17th Festival della Diplomazia in Rome on Oct. 26, Lazaro addressed European diplomats and academics on the theme “What’s Next? Running on the Edge.”
Lazaro focused on the 10th anniversary of the 2016 arbitral award, saying that the ruling remains final and binding, and serves as a shield for smaller nations against superpowers.
“The award demonstrates that even amid profound asymmetries of power, international law offers nations a peaceful means to defend their rights,” Lazaro said.
Despite facing continued coercion and harassment in Philippine waters, Lazaro emphasized that Manila’s diplomatic restraint should not be misinterpreted. “Restraint is not surrender. Dialogue is not acquiescence,” she said. “The Philippines seeks no confrontation. Neither will we relinquish our lawful rights.”
She warned European leaders that ignoring violations in Asia undermines global security, stating that if international law is disregarded in the SCS, “its authority is weakened in the Mediterranean, the Adriatic and everywhere else.”
Turning to regional strategy, Lazaro outlined Manila’s priorities for its 2026 Asean chairmanship under the theme “Navigating Our Future, Together.” She said the regional bloc must move past mere anniversaries to secure concrete resolutions, particularly a legally binding Code of Conduct in the SCS that respects Unclos (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) and an inclusive solution to the ongoing crisis in Myanmar.
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