China’s latest Ayungin actions seen as response to Panatag setback – NMC

Chinese frigate BN 554 is seen tailing BRP Emilio Jacinto at close range off Panatag or Scarborough Shoal on May 5, 2025. — Screengrab from Armed Forces of the Philippines photo

MANILA, Philippines — The latest show of Chinese aggression in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal was made to show their citizens “they are still in control” after their “embarrassment” due to the Aug. 11 collision, National Maritime Council spokesperson Alexander Lopez said on Friday.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said three Chinese boats mounted with armaments, a water cannon exhibition, and an unmanned aerial vehicle were spotted on Wednesday near Ayungin Shoal, where the naval outpost BRP Sierra Madre is aground.

In total, there were five China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels supported by 11 boats, nine militia ships, a UAV, and a rotary aircraft seen in the area, according to AFP’s report on Thursday, noting a marked increase in assets.

READ: Armed boats, water cannons seen in latest show of China aggression in Ayungin

“What happened to them on August 11 is a big slap and a big embarrassment. We expect them to increase their vessels, not only in Ayungin but we also saw it in Bajo de Masinloc just to cover up their embarrassment, actually,” Lopez said during a radio dzMM interview.

The regular rotation and resupply mission in BRP Sierra Madre has become one of the flashpoints of tensions between Manila and Beijing.

This latest aggression there also came more than a week after the Aug. 11 collision in Panatag involving a CCG ship and a People’s Liberation Army-Navy warship.

READ: Chinese ships collide off Scarborough Shoal; PH Coast Guard offers aid

Several experts warn that after this collision, China’s actions may become more aggressive in the West Philippine Sea.

“Actually, their audience is basically domestic, and they want to convey to their citizens that they are still in control,” Lopez also said.

Aside from frustrating maritime missions in Ayungin, China also enforced what experts termed as an “exclusion zone” around the Panatag Shoal, outright flouting the 2016 Arbitral Award, which declared the area a traditional fishing ground for the Philippines, China, and Vietnam. /jpv/abc