China’s coast guard homed in on and sought to obstruct a Philippine government mission near a hotly contested reef on Monday, an analyst said, citing ship tracking data.
The encounter comes as territorial tensions continue between the U.S. defense treaty ally and its powerful neighbor in the resource-rich South China Sea, through which as much as one-third of global shipping is estimated to transit each year.
China claims sovereignty over much of the resource-rich South China Sea under its unilaterally imposed ten-dash-line map, alleging historical rights, putting it at odds with the Philippines and several other neighbors.
Beijing frequently deploys its coast guard to assert these claims, with vessels ranging hundreds of miles from Chinese shores to enforce its presence.
On Monday, Philippine fisheries bureau and coast guard vessels sailed near Scarborough Shoal—a rich fishing ground—to distribute supplies to local fishermen.
The two agencies have ramped up such missions since early last year in response to China’s ejection of Philippine fishing boats from the area.
The atoll lies well within the Philippines’ internationally recognized maritime zone, approximately 140 miles from Luzon, the country’s main island, and nearly 700 miles from China’s southernmost province, Hainan.
Ray Powell, director of the Stanford-affiliated SeaLight maritime analysis organization, shared ship tracking data showing two Chinese coast guard vessels maneuvering toward the Philippine fisheries bureau ship Datu Pagbuaya and its coast guard escort BRP Bagacay, about 30 to 35 miles east of the shoal.
A third Chinese coast guard vessel and six paramilitary ships belonging to the so-called “Maritime Militia” had positioned themselves between their Philippine counterparts and the reef in what Powell called “blocking positions.”
Footage captured by a Philippine fisheries bureau aircraft and shared on X (formerly Twitter) by coast guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela shows an array of Chinese maritime forces, Philippine government vessels, and dozens of fishing boats.
The video also depicts a floating barrier at the shoal’s entrance—similar to those previously deployed by China and later dismantled by Philippine authorities.
“The mission underscored BFAR and PCG’s commitment to maritime safety and support for Filipino fishermen,” the spokesperson said.
China seized effective control over Scarborough Shoal—known in Beijing as Huangyan Island and in Manila as Bajo de Masinloc—in 2012 after an tense standoff.
Guo Jiakun, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, told reporters Tuesday: “Facts have repeatedly proven that nothing good could come out of opening the door to a predator. Those who willingly serve as chess pieces will be deserted in the end. Our message to some in the Philippines: stop serving as other countries’ mouthpiece and no more stunts for personal political agenda.”
Gilberto Teodoro, Philippine defense chief, told service members Monday: “No ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] country accepts the legitimacy of that 10-dash line, because that is the biggest fiction and lie that can be sold to any right-thinking person.”
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is scheduled to arrive in the Philippines on March 28, marking the first stop of his first official trip to Asia in the role. The visit follows meetings with military officials in Hawaii and Guam.
He is scheduled to travel to Japan after wrapping up his Philippine visit.
Hegseth will “advance security objectives with Philippine leaders and meet with U.S. and Philippine forces,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said, according to the Associated Press.