Philippine Coast Guard

The Philippine Coast Guard says the Chinese research vessel Jia Hai Ke 7 has entered the Philippine exclusive economic zone. A Filipino aircraft spotted the vessel 38 nautical miles off Itbayat and repeatedly challenged it by radio, demanding it leave the area. The incident adds to a series of maritime encounters between the Philippines and China in disputed South China Sea waters.

The Philippine Coast Guard has challenged a Chinese vessel operating within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone near Batanes, the island province at the country's northernmost tip. The encounter adds to a string of maritime standoffs between Manila and Beijing, as the Philippines continues to contest what it calls intrusions into its waters and asserts its sovereign rights in the South China Sea and surrounding areas.

China's Coast Guard has carried out multi-vessel exercises near Huangyan Dao, known internationally as Scarborough Shoal, in the South China Sea. The waterway is contested between China and the Philippines, and Chinese maritime drills there regularly draw scrutiny from Manila and regional observers. Announcement of the exercises circulated with the hashtag #CoolChina among pro-China accounts.