A Philippine Coast Guard aircraft conducting a routine patrol over Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal, was challenged by a Chinese warship on Tuesday, underscoring ongoing tensions in the South China Sea.
The incident occurred during a maritime domain awareness flight by a PCG Islander aircraft in the West Philippine Sea. According to Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, the aircraft monitored at least nine Chinese maritime forces in the area. These included two China Coast Guard vessels, two People’s Liberation Army Navy warships, and five vessels believed to be part of the Chinese maritime militia.
One China Coast Guard vessel without a visible bow number was positioned about 84.6 nautical miles west of Capones Island, while another was located 7.8 nautical miles southeast of Bajo de Masinloc. The PLA Navy warships, bearing hull numbers 553 and 909, were operating southeast of the shoal. The maritime militia vessels were observed between 6.16 and 11.82 nautical miles from Bajo de Masinloc.
During the patrol, the PLA Navy warship with hull number 553 issued several radio challenges to the Philippine aircraft. The aircrew responded that the mission was a lawful maritime domain awareness flight conducted in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the 2016 Arbitral Award that invalidated China’s claims in the South China Sea, and the Philippine Maritime Zones Act.
The crew further emphasised the Philippines’ lawful authority to conduct maritime domain awareness operations within its maritime zones. They reminded the PLA Navy warship that China, as a signatory to UNCLOS, had no legal basis to interfere with legitimate Philippine activities.
The PCG said the patrol demonstrated its resolve to protect Filipino fishermen and highlighted the continued presence of Chinese maritime forces in the area.
Bajo de Masinloc lies 124 nautical miles off Masinloc, Zambales, and falls within the Philippines’ 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone under UNCLOS. The Philippines refers to areas of the South China Sea within its claimed maritime zones as the West Philippine Sea, including waters around Luzon, the Kalayaan Island Group, and Bajo de Masinloc.
China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, a major trade route carrying more than $3 trillion in annual shipborne commerce, despite overlapping claims by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. Beijing has rejected the 2016 ruling by an international arbitral tribunal in The Hague, which found that China’s expansive claims had no legal basis.
On Tuesday, China’s Southern Theatre Command said it had organised naval and air forces to warn and drive away a Philippine government aircraft that it said had “illegally intruded” into airspace over Scarborough Shoal.
“We urge the Philippine side to immediately stop infringing upon China’s rights and cease provocations and irresponsible hype,” a spokesperson said.
The Philippine Embassy in Beijing, the Philippine Coast Guard, and the Philippine National Maritime Council did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Chinese statement.
The encounter comes amid broader regional frictions, with the Philippines reporting increased Chinese maritime activity closer to its coast in recent years, including in 2025, which has restricted Filipino fishermen to smaller areas of their traditional fishing grounds.
The PCG said maritime domain awareness flights remain essential to monitoring activities within Philippine waters and asserting national sovereignty and maritime rights.
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