MANILA, Philippines — Military authorities detected 35 Chinese vessels operating across key maritime areas in the West Philippine Sea between September 15 and 21, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reported.
The latest count reflects a decline from the preceding week, during which military monitoring recorded 48 Chinese maritime craft in the area.
Despite the overall reduction, the heaviest deployment remained centered near Bajo de Masinloc, where forces tracked 10 Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) ships alongside six warships from the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).
Additional CCG and PLAN units were spotted patrolling near other strategic locations, namely Ayungin Shoal, Escoda Shoal, and Pag-asa Island.
Apart from Pag-asa Island, which remains under effective Philippine occupation and administration, these maritime features lie within the country’s 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The military reiterated that the continued operations of Chinese assets within sovereign Philippine waters violate the 2016 international arbitral ruling, which rejected Beijing’s expansive territorial claims across the South China Sea.