# Philippines
Latest news and articles about Philippines
Total: 23 articles found
China Films Philippine Vessel Dumping ‘Unknown Object’ Near Spratly Islands, Raising Tensions in the South China Sea
Chinese authorities released footage showing a Philippine Coast Guard vessel discarding an unidentified object near the Spratly Islands on Feb. 16, a small incident that nevertheless amplifies tensions in the contested South China Sea. The episode highlights how filmed encounters and the deployment of equipment at sea serve as instruments of strategic signaling between Manila and Beijing.
New Year Tensions: Philippines’ Spratly Provocation Tests China as Washington and Tokyo Hold Back
Over Lunar New Year’s Eve the Philippines staged a high-profile maritime exercise near the Spratly Islands that China treated as a provocation, prompting a measured but forceful Chinese deployment and documentation of the incident. Washington and Tokyo remained conspicuously restrained, reflecting a cautious approach to balancing alliance reassurance with the risks of direct confrontation with Beijing.
China Signals Military Resolve in South China Sea as Manila Pauses U.S.-Backed Patrol Push
China staged sea-and-air patrols after a Philippines naval exercise and an attempted U.S.-backed joint patrol, signalling a willingness to defend maritime claims while using targeted diplomatic measures against local Philippine officials. The episode illustrates the limits of U.S. reassurance, the risks of great-power friction in the South China Sea, and Manila’s constrained choices between alliance signalling and geographic realities.
Silent Showdown in the South China Sea: B‑52s, H‑6Ks and Five Days of Face‑to‑Face Patrols
A U.S. B‑52 joined Philippine aircraft in a South China Sea patrol from Feb 2–6, prompting five days of Chinese sea and air counter‑patrols. The episode illustrates how diplomatic outreach between Washington and Beijing can coexist with, and even be shadowed by, intensified military competition in the region.
PLA’s Five‑Day South China Sea Patrol Raises Stakes as Manila Shifts Tactics and Tokyo Deepens Involvement
China’s PLA carried out a five‑day patrol in the South China Sea in early February, a move framed as a response to Philippine actions around Scarborough Shoal and joint exercises with the United States. Manila has signalled a tactical pivot toward pushing a South China Sea code of conduct during its 2026 ASEAN chairmanship, even as Japan deepens support for the Philippines, widening the dispute’s international dimensions.
Beijing Steps Up South China Sea Patrols After Manila’s Outreach to Extra‑Regional Forces
The PLA’s Southern Theatre reported five consecutive days of sea‑air patrols in the South China Sea, framing the moves as a response to Philippine cooperation with extra‑regional forces. Manila, meanwhile, vows to accelerate negotiations on a South China Sea Code of Conduct as ASEAN chair, creating a tension between deterrence through outside partnerships and efforts to institutionalise crisis management.
Condolence and Coercion: China’s Rescue Diplomacy Amid Rising South China Sea Tensions
China’s condolence to the Philippines after a fatal ferry sinking highlights a broader pattern of simultaneous humanitarian outreach and military assertiveness in the South China Sea. Incidents of rescue and reproach reveal deep distrust between Beijing and Manila, with implications for regional stability amid US–China competition.
After Manila Declares No‑Sail Zone at Scarborough, PLA Sends a Stark Message
The Philippines declared a no‑sail zone near Scarborough Shoal, prompting Chinese commentary that the PLA responded with operations intended to ‘‘slap’’ Manila down. The episode highlights the fragile mix of routine maritime measures and high-stakes geopolitics in the South China Sea, with risks of further escalation unless diplomatic de‑escalation follows.
PLA Bomber Patrols Over Huangyan Signal Beijing’s Harder Line Toward Manila
China’s Southern Theater Command dispatched H‑6K bombers and fighters on patrols over Huangyan Island on 31 January, a move Beijing says enforces its jurisdiction and rebukes Philippine attempts to declare nearby exercise areas. The flights reflect a broader strategy of regularized bomber presence and calibrated coercion intended to deter Manila while emphasising Chinese claims of humanitarian assistance and restraint.
Beijing’s Show of Force Over Scarborough: Armed PLA Flights as Manila’s Exercise Zone Escalates Tensions
China staged naval patrols and armed air overflights near Scarborough Shoal after the Philippines included the feature in a declared exercise zone, signalling Beijing’s readiness to defend what it calls sovereign territory. The episode increases the risk of miscalculation and highlights the limits of legal rulings and the growing role of calibrated coercion in the South China Sea.
The Last Witnesses: Philippine ‘Grandmothers’ and the Unfinished Demand for Japan’s Apology
Survivors of Japan’s wartime system of sexual slavery in the Philippines — known locally as “grandmothers” — are dwindling, yet their demand for a formal apology and compensation persists. Activists warn that unresolved accountability, historical revisionism and geopolitical pragmatism risk allowing the memory of these crimes to be erased for younger generations.
China Flies H-6K Bombers over Scarborough Shoal in Direct Rebuke to Philippine 'Exercise Zone'
China’s Southern Theater Command conducted sea-air combat-readiness patrols over Huangyan Dao (Scarborough Shoal) on 31 January, publishing routes that included H-6K bombers and fighters. Beijing framed the flights as both a rejection of Philippine-declared exercise zones and a demonstration of de facto control, raising the stakes in a long-running dispute with Manila.