40 Chinese vessels monitored in West PH Sea in March – PH Navy

Chinese Coast Guard vessel moving dangerously close to the Philippine Coast Guard patrol ship. Photo courtesy of PCG

RIZAL, Philippines — The Philippine Navy monitored 40 Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) last March.

Navy spokesperson for the WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy ships and Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels were monitored at Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal), Ayungin Shoal, and Sabina Shoal from March 1 to 31.

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Based on the data that Trinidad presented during a press conference on Tuesday, the Philippine Navy logged 22 Chinese vessels at Bajo de Masinloc, six at Ayungin Shoal, and 12 at Sabina Shoal.

Of this figure, 15 are PLA Navy ships, while 25 are CCG vessels.

“In  March 2025, the AFP successfully monitored a total of 15,060 vessels, reflecting the ongoing dedication to maintaining national security and protecting our maritime domains. Extensive maritime domain awareness operations were conducted, identifying 12,683 foreign vessels and 2,923 domestic vessels,” Trinidad said.

He also mentioned the Chinese research vessels within the country’s archipelagic waters.

“We were prepared to respond to provide support if needed. We do not speculate on the number of PLA Navy ships in our EEZ (exclusive economic zone),” he said.

“Suffice it to say that we have been conducting our patrols on sea and air to show that we are not deterred by their presence within our EEZ,” he added.

Since January, the Philippine Coast Guard has monitored the movements of CCG vessels “unlawfully operating” within the country’s EEZ.

Beijing’s continued aggression was based on its assertion of sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea. It continues to reject the 2016 arbitral ruling that effectively dismissed its claims and ruled in favor of Manila.