Video Shows China Navy Ship in Close Encounter With US Ally

The Philippines has protested what it called “aggressive and unsafe maneuvers” by two Chinese warships following a recent face-off near a disputed South China Sea feature.

The encounter was notable for the involvement of naval vessels—a rare occurrence in a long-running dispute more commonly played out by the nations’ coast guards, seen as posing a lower risk of escalation into an armed conflict.

Why It Matters

The incident took place Monday at Scarborough Shoal, a rich fishing ground lying within the Philippines’ maritime zone that China seized de facto control over after a 2012 standoff. China claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, citing so-called historical rights—despite a 2016 ruling by an international arbitral tribunal that rejected most of its claims.

This has put Beijing at odds with several Southeast Asian neighbors, including U.S. defense treaty ally the Philippines. The country’s pushback has resulted in sometimes dramatic confrontations with Chinese maritime forces.

Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry and Philippine military with written requests for comment.

What To Know

According to a statement from the Philippine military, Chinese ships intercepted a Philippine Navy corvette, the BRP Emilio Jacinto, while it was “conducting routine and lawful maritime patrol operations” in support of the Philippine fisheries bureau and coast guard about 13.5 miles southeast of Scarborough Shoal—known in the Philippines as Bajo de Masinloc and in China as Huangyan Island.

The Philippine footage shows one of the Chinese frigates tailing the Philippine vessel at close range. A frigate can also be seen cutting across its bow—a move the statement called “a high-risk maneuver that created the danger of collision.” A Chinese coast guard ship was also said to have cut across the corvette’s path.

“The Armed Forces of the Philippines expresses its serious concern over these irresponsible actions by Chinese maritime forces. Such threatening and provocative conduct can lead to misunderstanding that may escalate tensions and impact regional stability,” the statement said.

The Chinese military’s Southern Theater Command issued its own statement, accusing the Philippine side of intruding into the Scarborough Shoal’s “territorial waters.”

What People Are Saying

The People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command, said in a statement: “Huangyan Island is China’s inherent territory. We sternly warn the Philippine side to immediately cease its infringing provocations and misleading hype.

“The forces of the Theater Command remain on high alert at all times and will resolutely defend national sovereignty, security, and maritime rights and interests, and firmly safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea region.”

Collin Koh, a senior fellow at Singapore’s Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies, wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Clearly the PLA Navy in recent times shifted from a recessed posture and allowing the CCG [Chinese Coast Guard] to take the front, to an active posture that sees PRC [People’s Republic of China] gray hulls more forcefully intervening in lawful Philippine activities within the country’s EEZ [exclusive economic zone], in conjunction with the CCG and maritime militia.

What’s Next

Neither China nor the Philippines is likely to back down anytime soon, and Manila continues to strengthen security ties not only with the U.S. but also with Japan and other regional partners.

It remains unclear whether China will move to normalize the deployment of naval vessels to further reinforce its territorial claims.