Chinese Warship Collides With Its Own Coast Guard Vessel
A Chinese warship rammed into a fellow Chinese coast guard vessel while the latter was chasing a Philippine coast guard boat that was distributing aid to fishermen in the disputed Scarborough Shoal (BBC)
Additionally, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that the Philippines would inevitably be drawn “kicking and screaming” into a war over Taiwan, citing its proximity to the island and a large number of Filipino workers there (AP)
India, Philippines Complete Two-Day Naval Exercises
For the first time, India and the Philippines held a two-day joint naval sail and exercises in the South China Sea; the vessels were reportedly shadowed by two Chinese navy ships, including a guided-missile destroyer, twenty-five nautical miles from one of two Philippine navy frigates (AP)
India, Philippines to Hold Joint Exercise in South China Sea
India’s Eastern Fleet docked at the Port of Manila ahead of a maritime cooperative activity between India and the Philippines, “to further strengthen the robust maritime relationship between the Philippine Navy and the Indian Navy”; it will be the first-ever joint exercise by India and the Philippines in the South China Sea (USNI)
The Eastern Fleet includes a guided-missile destroyer, an anti-submarine corvette, and a replenishment vessel (USNI)
Chinese Foreign Ministry Rebukes Philippines
In response to a question about military cooperation between the Philippines and the United States, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that China demands “the Philippines to stop colluding with other countries” over maritime issues, and “stop inviting external forces for support” (Xinhua)
Additionally, China reportedly built a 3,200-hectare network of island military bases in the South China Sea, which includes harbors, large runways, over seventy-two fighter jet hangars, surface-to-air missile and anti-ship cruise missile emplacements, and radar infrastructure; the runways built may be intended to deploy advanced H6K nuclear-capable bombers that can reach Australia (ABC)
Marcos Praises New Alliances, Expresses Increased Confidence in Philippines
In his annual state of the nation address, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that his higher confidence in the Philippines comes from having “more allies, which would support [it] in the time of grave need” (AP)
Trump Hosts Philippine President Marcos
As part of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s three-day visit to Washington, Marcos met with President Trump to discuss strengthening security and economic ties; Marcos met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth the day before (AP)
Upon Marcos’ arrival at the White House, Trump said that the countries were close to finalizing a “big trade deal”, and he also stressed that the Philippines is a “very important nation militarily” with whom the United States has “had some great drills lately” (Reuters)
Additionally, according to a solicitation by the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency, the United States is reportedly considering the Davao Region in Mindanao, in the southern Philippines, to build facilities that can refuel, receive, store, and ship naval and aviation equipment (USNI)
President Marcos, Defense Secretary Hegseth Discuss Military Deployment
In a meeting with Philippine President Marcos Jr., U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the United States is working with the Philippines on increasing military cooperation and creating a long-term joint shield of deterrence, including by “deploying new cutting-edge missiles” and unmanned systems to the Philippines (DoD)
China Communicates “Strong Dissatisfaction” to the Philippines Over Taiwan
The Chinese Foreign Ministry condemned the Philippine Ambassador in a statement, conveying “stern representations” and “strong dissatisfaction” over “negative” maritime and security matters regarding Taiwan (Reuters)
U.S. Navy to Build Two Maintenance Facilities in the Philippines
The U.S. Embassy in the Philippines announced that it will construct two repair and maintenance facilities for Philippine military boats at Oyster Bay and Quezon town in western Palawan, a province facing the South China Sea (AP)
U.S. Building New Fast Boat Base to Support the Philippines
In Quezon on the western coast of Palawan, the U.S. Navy plans to fund and build a facility that will host at least five Philippine boats, including rigid-hulled inflatable boats and assault boats, to support the Philippines’ operations in disputed South China Sea waters (USNI News)
U.S. Commander: China Has “Failed to Intimidate” Foes
While speaking at a forum in Manila, U.S. Admiral Stephen Koehler, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, said that despite China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea, “China has failed to intimidate Southeast Asian claimants into surrendering sovereign rights,” citing Indonesian, Malaysian, and Vietnamese efforts to expand their offshore oil and gas operations in the Sea (AP)
U.S., Philippines Launch Joint Air Force Exercise
The Philippine Air Force and the U.S. Pacific Air Forces conducted the Cope Thunder Philippines Exercise at Clark Air Base to improve joint interoperability and mutual defense readiness (GMA News)
Additionally, the United States’ only aircraft carrier in the Indo-Pacific, the USS George Washington, left Manila after four days and set sail for the South China Sea, accompanied by a cruiser and a destroyer (USNI)
Meanwhile, the People’s Liberation Army’s Shangdong aircraft carrier departed Hong Kong after conducting its first port visit there (USNI)
Japan to Send Destroyers to the Philippines
To strengthen deterrence against Chinese actions in the South China Sea, Japan will export six Abukuma-class destroyer escorts to the Philippines (Reuters)
Philippines Summons Chinese Ambassador to Protest Tolentino Sanctions
After China sanctioned former Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino for his comments regarding Chinese actions in the South China Sea, the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs summoned China’s ambassador, Huang Xilian (AP)
USS George Washington Arrives in Manila
The U.S. Navy’s USS George Washington arrived in Manila Bay for its first visit to the Philippines since 2013 as part of its patrol mission in the West Philippine Sea near the South China Sea (ABS-CBN)
The visit coincides with the arrival of China’s Shangdong aircraft carrier in Hong Kong (AP)
China Conducts Combat-Readiness Patrol Near Scarborough Shoal
China’s Ministry of Defense released a statement saying that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Southern Military Command conducted a combat-readiness patrol with its naval and air forces near the Scarborough Shoal, an island claimed by the Philippines, and surrounding areas (China MoD)
Quad Group Condemns Unsafe Maneuvers in South China Sea
In a joint statement by Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, collectively known as the ‘Quad’, the group emphasized its concern for maritime aggression in the South China Sea, including interference with offshore resource development, obstruction of freedoms of navigation and overflight, and dangerous military maneuvers, including the use of water cannons, blocking, and ramming; China was not mentioned by name in the statement (AP)
Former Majority Leader of Filipino Senate Sanctioned by China
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Francis Tolentino, the former senate majority leader of the Philippines, would be sanctioned and barred from entering China, Hong Kong, and Macau; the decision was reportedly in response to Tolentino’s authorship of the Philippines Maritime Zones Act and the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act, which assert the Philippines’ territorial claims in the South China Sea (AP)
Leaders from “Squad” Group Preparing ‘One-Theater’ Military Approach in East and South China Seas
The Philippines Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro announced that defense ministers from Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and the United States are forming a “Squad” grouping to operationalize a joint operations command, considered the “One-Theater” approach, in the East and South China Seas; the countries will cooperate in operations, domain awareness, intelligence-sharing, and mutual strength reinforcement (Reuters)
Furthermore, Teodoro and Lithuanian Defense Secretary Dovilė Šakalienė signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance defense cooperation between both countries, specifically in cybersecurity, defense industries, munitions production, and maritime security (AP)
Lithuania’s defense minister noted that both countries faced challenges from “shadow fleets by some big countries” in the South China Sea and Baltic Sea (Bloomberg)
Chinese Joint Military Operation Considered Largest Rescue Drill in Recent Years
The China Coast Guard, People’s Liberation Army, and the Sansha city government—which was allegedly established to assert Chinese claims in the South China Sea—jointly conducted a seventy-five-minute land-air-sea emergency rescue exercise near Woody Island in the contested Paracel Islands; the exercise involved two hundred personnel, fifteen vessels, and two rescue helicopters (SCMP)
Australia, UK Conduct Operation in South China Sea
The United Kingdom’s Permanent Joint Headquarters announced that Australian and UK vessels conducted a Freedom of Navigation Activity operation near the Spratly Islands, a contested archipelago in the South China Sea (The Diplomat; X).
Chinese Coast Guard Ships Target Philippine Fisheries Vessels With Water Cannon
While delivering supplies at the Scarborough Shoal, four vessels were reportedly targeted by a water cannon from Chinese Coast Guard ships; the Philippines accused the Chinese ships of acting aggressively (Reuters)
U.S. Aircraft Carrier Based in South China Sea Diverted to Middle East
The USS Nimitz, an aircraft carrier stationed in the South China Sea, reportedly canceled its visit to Danang City, Vietnam, to move to the Middle East amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran (Reuters)
Chinese Military Opposes Philippine Joint Patrols
One day after the People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theater Command held joint sea and air patrols in the South China Sea, a spokesperson from the maritime force claimed that the Philippines was seeking to organize joint patrols with other countries that would threaten the security of the area (Reuters)
Trump Administration Reviewing AUKUS Agreement
The Pentagon announced it is reviewing the 2021 Biden-era military deal between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States that would provide nuclear-powered submarines to Australia to counter China’s naval strength in the region (NYT)
The deal is under review to determine if it meets the Trump Administration’s “America First” agenda (FT)