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The Philippine Coast Guard rescue Filipino fishermen who were harassed by Chinese vessels at Escoda Shoal. Handout/PCG

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Bianca Dava

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17677737139461767773712996.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The Philippine Coast Guard rescue Filipino fishermen who were harassed by Chinese vessels at Escoda Shoal. <em>Handout/PCG</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — China has rejected a Philippine Navy assessment that warned of Beijing’s growing aggressiveness and coordinated maritime operations in the West Philippine Sea, even as the report laid out evidence of how China&#x27;s navy, coast guard and maritime militia have increased deployments to assert control over the waters.</p><p>In a statement on Tuesday, the Chinese Embassy in Manila said it “firmly rejects the Philippine side’s so-called report,” calling it “full of misperceptions and bias against China” that “maliciously slanders China’s military activities” and “deliberately misleads the public.”</p><p>The Philippine Navy report described China’s actions in the West Philippine Sea and the broader South China Sea as part of a “coordinated, state-directed framework” aimed at establishing control over the region to “provide itself an economic, security and military advantage against all claimants and interfering states.”</p><p>According to the report, Beijing employs an integrated maritime force structure centered on the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, operating alongside the China Coast Guard (CCG) and the Chinese maritime militia (CMM), all working under the authority of the Central Military Commission (CMC).</p><p>“This highlights the operational model of the CCG and militia units conducting frontline coercive actions in regular West Philippine Sea and South China Sea encounters while PLA Navy activities provide the necessary safeguard, enabling escalation control, deterrence and force projection,” the report said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/6/chinese-activities-in-the-west-ph-sea-seen-to-continue-in-2026-navy-spox-1547">Chinese activities in the West PH Sea seen to continue in 2026—Navy spox</a></div><p>The Navy cited the National Security Policy (2023-2028), which identifies the West Philippine Sea as a critical national security concern, noting that China’s continuous illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive (ICAD) actions pose a direct challenge to Philippine territorial integrity, sovereign rights, and the safety of Filipino fishermen and government vessels.</p><p>“Such activities are characterized by [China’s] enforcement of its domestic laws, fishing moratoriums, reclamation activities, harassment of Filipino fishermen and Philippine government vessels, and massive disinformation campaign,” the Navy said.</p><div> </div><div><strong>SHIFT FROM INTERMITTENT SUPPORT TO PERSISTENT DETERRENCE</strong></div><div> </div><p>Data compiled by the Navy showed a marked increase in Chinese maritime activity in the West Philippine Sea between 2024 and 2025.</p><p>In 2024, a total of 278 Chinese vessels—79 law enforcement ships and 199 military vessels—were monitored across various areas of responsibility in the West Philippine Sea.</p><p>PLA Navy activity during this period was described as periodic and limited to support roles, with most direct pressure applied by the CCG.</p><p>“PLA Navy surface combatants were observed operating beyond immediate flashpoints, often east or north of the Spratly area, acting as overwatch forces,” the report said.</p><p>“The main role of the PLA Navy emphasized deterrence by presence, not direct confrontation,” it added. “Furthermore, deployment patterns were linked to major resupply missions at Ayungin Shoal, and exercises elsewhere in the West Philippine Sea.”</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/5/new-defense-agreements-new-warships-ph-reinforces-maritime-defense-in-2025-1434">New defense agreements, new warships: PH reinforces maritime defense in 2025</a></div><p>By 2025, Chinese presence rose to 447 vessels—161 law enforcement ships and 286 military ships.</p><p>The Navy said PLA Navy deployments became “more consistent, predictable and geographically closer to contested areas.”</p><p>China also increased joint sails and shadowing operations utilizing large CCG cutters, the Navy added.</p><p>“In 2025 alone, there have been frequent deployments of various surface action groups near the eastern and southern edges of the West Philippine Sea, as well as the regular participation of PLA Navy units in cross-theater naval and air exercises, and expanded intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) support for CCG operations through naval aviation and space-based sensors,” the Navy noted.</p><p>It concluded that from 2024 to 2025, Chinese activity in the West Philippines evolved “from intermittent support to a more persistent deterrent posture.”</p><p>China, however, claimed that its military posture is defensive in nature and adheres to a military strategy of active defense “solely aimed at safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests.”</p><p>“The Chinese military actively promotes the Global Security Initiative, acts strictly in accordance with domestic and international law, defends its legitimate rights and interests in a justified, appropriate and restrained manner, and strives to provide public security goods for the international community,” Chinese Embassy Deputy Spokesperson Guo Wei said in a statement.</p><p>The 2016 Arbitral Award, which China continues to reject, invalidated Beijing’s sweeping claims in almost the entire South China Sea and affirmed that areas of the West Philippine Sea lie within Manila’s 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).</p><div> </div><div><strong>CHINA’S ACTIONS DURING MARITIME COOPERATIVE ACTIVITIES</strong></div><div> </div><p>The Navy report also detailed how China has routinely responded to Philippine-led bilateral and multilateral maritime cooperative activities (MCAs) with increased military presence and information operations.</p><p>From 2024 to 2025, the Philippines has conducted 13 multilateral MCAs and 16 bilateral MCAs with its ally and partners, including the United States, Japan, Australia, Canada and France.</p><p>“Following nearly every MCA, China has responded through a combination of kinetic and non-kinetic actions, including increased PLA Navy, CCG and CMM vessels presence near Philippine islands and features, aggressive maneuvering and shadowing of Philippine vessels, as well as coordinated information operations and disinformation campaigns portraying the exercises as destabilizing or externally influenced,” the Navy said.</p><p>It went on, “This recurring pattern highlights both the strategic importance of MCAs in preserving the rules-based international order and China’s continued reliance on ICAD actions to counter Philippine-led cooperation without escalating to open conflict.”</p><p>China criticized the Philippines for holding “large-scale military exercises with non-regional countries,” claiming these undermined regional stability.</p><p>“In these exercises, the Philippines also introduced and deployed strategic and tactical weapons, undermining regional stability and jeopardizing the prospects for economic growth in the area. Such actions have been detested and opposed by regional countries,” Guo claimed.</p><p>Manila has repeatedly said that MCAs are lawful and conducted within Philippine territorial waters and EEZ.</p><div> </div><div><strong>CHINA’S CLAIMS OVER PHILIPPINE-OCCUPIED FEATURES</strong></div><div> </div><p>China again accused the Philippines of illegal occupation and construction on maritime features, including Pag-asa Island.</p><p>“It is the Philippines that makes provocation at sea. The Philippines has further enhanced its construction of military facilities on illegally occupied islands and reefs,” Guo claimed. “In June 2022, the Philippines established a coast guard workstation on Zhongye Dao (Thitu Island) and completed a 1,300-meter-long, 100-meter-wide concrete runway.”</p><p>Philippine officials have rejected such claims, stressing that Pag-asa Island has long been inhabited by Filipino civilians and administered by the Philippine government.</p><p>Guo also accused the grounded BRP Sierra Madre of causing long-term environmental damage due to waste discharge, an allegation denied by Philippine officials.</p><p>“For 25 years, the dilapidated, rust-covered BRP Sierra Madre has remained under constant guard, with personnel on board burning and discarding household waste and discharging sewage, constantly polluting the clan waters of the South China Sea,” he said.</p><p>The Chinese official cited the deployment of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua near Escoda or Sabina Shoal in 2024, alleging that the ship’s nearly five-month presence was an attempt to replicate the grounding of the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal in 1999.</p><p>“The illegal lingering of BRP Teresa Magbanua at Xianbin Jiao (Sabina Shoal) was an attempt to replicate the tactic employed 25 years ago by Philippine warship BRP Sierra Madre, which illegally ‘grounded’ itself in the northwestern lagoon slope of Ren’ai Jiao (Second Thomas Shoal) under the pretext of needing spare parts for repairs due to an unexpected stranding,” the Chinese Embassy&#x27;s Guo said.</p><p>The PCG had earlier maintained that the BRP Teresa Magbanua was operating within Philippine EEZ, stressing that the deployment was a lawful maritime operation.</p><div> </div><div><strong>‘WEAK VICTIM’ NARRATIVE?</strong></div><div> </div><p>Beijing accused Manila of distorting public perception by portraying itself as the “weak victim” in the disputes.</p><p>“The Philippines seeks to mislead the perception of the international community on the current situation. This is a key component of the Philippines’ ‘gray zone’ strategy in the South China Sea: the ‘victim narrative’ tactic,” Guo claimed.</p><p>“Deliberately ignoring the historical context and international legal basis of the disputes, the Philippines avoids mentioning its illegal occupation of Chinese islands and reefs to seize South China Sea oil and gas resources. Instead, with skillful media techniques, it refocuses international discussion of the disputes on sensational events that generate diverse interpretations and spread widely,” he added.</p><p>“By exploiting the international public opinion environment in which Western countries are ready to portray China as a so-called ‘revisionist power’ on South China Sea issues, it constructs a narrative of itself as ‘resisting Chinese dominance,’ thereby launching an information war in the cognitive domain of disputes,” the Chinese official further said.</p><p>Philippine officials, however, have repeatedly pointed to time-stamped video evidence, radio communications, vessel tracking data, and reporting by embedded media to document Chinese vessels’ aggressive actions against Philippine ships. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kreklHk6SVw?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>China has rejected a Philippine Navy assessment that warned of Beijing’s growing aggressiveness and coordinated maritime operations in the WPS, even as the report laid out evidence of how Chinese naval, coast guard and maritime militia have increased deployments to assert control over the waters.</p>

China has rejected a Philippine Navy assessment that warned of Beijing’s growing aggressiveness and coordinated maritime operations in the WPS, even as the report laid out evidence of how Chinese naval, coast guard and maritime militia have increased deployments to assert control over the waters.

PH Navy details growing Chinese presence in WPS in report

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PH Navy details growing Chinese presence in WPS in report

Bianca Dava,

ABS-CBN News

Published January 07, 2026 04:52 PM PHT

Read More:

Philippine Navy

Chinese Embassy

China

Armed Forces of the Philippines

PLA Navy

China Coast Guard

West Philippine Sea

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