South China Sea

December 13, 2025 12:49 PM

Philippines says fishermen hurt, boats damaged by China in South China Sea

The Philippine coast guard said on Saturday that three Filipino fishermen had been wounded and two fishing vessels suffered "significant damage" when Chinese coast guard ships fired water cannon in a disputed South China Sea shoal. Manila's coast guard said nearly two dozen Filipino fishing boats near Sabina Shoal were targeted with water cannon and blocking manoeuvres on Friday. A small Chinese coast guard boat also cut the anchor lines of several Filipino boats, endangering their crews, it sa...

September 11, 2025 1:04 PM

Philippines protests China’s plan for nature reserve in disputed shoal

The Philippines said on Thursday it "strongly protests" China's plan to establish a nature reserve at a South China Sea shoal, as Beijing moves to reinforce its territorial claims and maritime rights in the contested region. China has approved the creation of a national nature reserve at the disputed Scarborough Shoal. The designation was an "important guarantee" to preserve the atoll's ecosystem, China's State Council said. The Philippine foreign ministry said China's action "clearly infringe...

August 4, 2025 7:01 PM

Philippines, India hold first joint sail in South China Sea

The Philippine and Indian navies have sailed together for the first time in the South China Sea, officials said on Monday, as President Ferdinand Marcos left Manila for New Delhi for a state visit. The Philippines has conducted "maritime cooperative activities" with foreign navies since late 2023 as part of its push to counter China's expansive claims in the waterway, including joint passages with treaty ally the United States, as well as Japan, Australia, France and Canada. Philippine militar...

January 13, 2025 1:18 PM

Philippines files protest over Beijing’s ‘escalatory actions’ in South China Sea

The Philippines on Monday called on Beijing to desist from "escalatory actions" at a South China Sea shoal and said a protest has been lodged over the presence of Chinese coast guard, militia and navy in its exclusive economic zone. The protest stems from the presence of two coast guard vessels on Jan. 5 and Jan. 10 in and around the disputed Scarborough shoal, one of which was a 165 m (541ft) long boat referred to by the Philippines as "the monster". It said a Chinese navy helicopter was ...

October 8, 2024 12:17 PM

Myanmar and South China Sea to test ASEAN relevance in upcoming summit

Southeast Asian leaders will meet in Laos this week as Myanmar's civil war and mounting tensions in the South China Sea risk corroding the ASEAN grouping's central role in the region. The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has, since it was founded in 1967, created complex political structures and processes that have largely enabled peaceful cooperation within the region of over 685 million people. But its inability to address difficult issues in a timely way may reflect ...

September 16, 2024 3:31 PM

Maritime security to feature in talks with Singapore, says MEA ahead of PM Modi’s visit

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Singapore, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said that discussions on maritime security will be a key agenda item during the talks with Singaporean leadership. "On maritime security and safety, of course, you know India's position on the South China Sea. In the case of Singapore as well, it is important for them to maintain sea lines of communication that are safe, secure, and free," said Jaideep Mazumdar, Secretary East at the ...

August 31, 2024 2:39 PM

China, Philippines accuse each other of ramming ships in South China Sea

China and the Philippines accused each other of ramming their ships in a disputed area of the South China Sea on Saturday, the latest in an escalating series of clashes in the vital waterway. China's coast guard said a Philippine ship, "illegally stranded" at the Sabina Shoal, had lifted anchor and "deliberately rammed" a Chinese vessel, while the Philippine coast guard said a Chinese vessel had "intentionally rammed" one of Manila's ships. Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, inc...

August 26, 2024 12:23 PM

Philippines says China’s South China Sea moves ‘aggressive, unprofessional and illegal’

The Philippine government slammed China on Monday for "repeated aggressive, unprofessional and illegal" actions in the South China Sea after a string of clashes and incidents on air and at sea over the past week. The Philippines' national maritime council said Chinese aircraft made unsafe manoeuvres against a civilian aircraft conducting patrols over the Scarborough shoal and Subi reef. On Sunday, Chinese vessels also "blocked, rammed and fired water cannons" against a government fisheries ves...

September 16, 2024 4:52 PM

Quad foreign ministers decry dangerous S. China Sea actions

Foreign ministers from Australia, India, Japan and the United States said on Monday they were seriously concerned about intimidating and dangerous manoeuvres in the South China Sea and pledged to bolster maritime security in the region. The joint statement came after talks between the so-called 'Quad' countries in Tokyo, attended by Australia's Penny Wong, India's Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Japan's Yoko Kamikawa and Antony Blinken from the U.S.. In security talks between the U.S. and Japan on Su...

June 18, 2024 9:08 PM

Treated as a pariah by the West, Putin set for warm welcome in Vietnam

Russian President Vladimir Putin is widely portrayed as a pariah in the West, but he looks set to receive a warm welcome when he visits Communist-ruled Vietnam this week. Vietnam is not a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has issued an arrest warrant for Putin over alleged war crimes in Ukraine, and ties between Hanoi and Moscow have been strong for decades. Like Moscow, Hanoi also keeps a close eye on what is reported by national media, and Western advocacy groups say me...