New Chinese research vessel spotted near Panatag after platform removal
MANILA, Philippines — The military has sighted 44 Chinese vessels, including warships, in the West Philippine Sea in the last seven days, with more than half of them lingering around Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, officials said on Tuesday.
The vessels were monitored in four features of the Philippine waters from June 23 to June 29, according to Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea.
Of these, he said 27 vessels—18 China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels and nine People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLAN) warships—were observed around Panatag, which lies within the country’s exclusive economic zone but has been under China’s control since 2012 after a standoff with the Philippine Navy.
READ: PH says Chinese floating structure removed from Panatag Shoal
Permanent presence
According to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), China has “maintained a permanent coast guard presence” at Panatag since then.
Beijing has expanded this presence to include additional patrols east of the shoal in a bid to intercept Philippine ships, “leading to frequent encounters” between the law enforcement vessels of both countries, it added in the June 16 article, “Holding the Line: China’s Expanding Patrols Around Scarborough Shoal.”
To further assert control of Panatag, China published territorial baselines around it in December 2024 and declared a nature reserve on its northeast side in September 2025, according to AMTI.
READ: PH protests floating structure in Panatag
In November 2024, President Marcos signed two laws that defined the country’s maritime zones and its archipelagic sea-lanes and air routes to assert the country’s rights over its waters.
In other features, too
According to Trinidad, eight CCG vessels and one PLAN warship were also monitored near Ayungin Shoal, a low-tide elevation that lies about 194 kilometers west of Palawan province.
Escoda Shoal, which lies about 195 km west of Palawan, had four vessels, consisting of two CCG vessels and two PLAN warships.
The AFP also monitored three PLAN warships and a CCG vessel around Pag-asa Island, which lies about 528 km west of Palawan.
These were more than double the 17 Chinese vessels sighted the previous week in the Philippine waters, a number that the military attributed to inclement weather. /cb
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