Overview
- China's PLA Southern Theater Command conducted joint naval and air drills on Saturday that state media and military footage said included H-6K bombers with YJ-12 anti-ship missiles, Type 054-series warships and amphibious transport ships.
- The China Coast Guard stepped up law-enforcement patrols near Huangyan Dao, issuing warnings, using blocking and water cannon measures to expel Philippine vessels and releasing footage of confrontations.
- Beijing formally rejected Manila's recent UN filings for baselines and an extended continental shelf and separately issued stricter management rules for the Huangyan Dao national nature reserve banning unauthorised fishing, mining and entry.
- Manila has reported clashes at sea, including an allegation that a Philippine sailor was struck by a Chinese coast guard officer, a claim China denies, and Beijing has publicly cited US and Japanese cooperation with the Philippines as a reason for its heightened response.
- Tensions sit on long‑running overlapping claims and a 2016 arbitration ruling that China rejects, and the latest mix of heavy drills, coast guard enforcement and legal moves raises the risk of more close encounters and accidental escalation in a busy shipping area.