29 Chinese vessels spotted in WPS in past week -- AFP

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The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Tuesday it has monitored 29 Chinese vessels in several West Philippine Sea (WPS) features from November 3 to 8, 2026.

AFP spokesperson for the WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said the vessels monitored included those from the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and the China Coast Guard (CCG).

The breakdown of Chinese vessels monitored in the past week is as follows:

• Ayungin Shoal: 1 PLAN vessel and 9 CCG vessels
• Bajo de Masinloc: 3 PLAN vessels and 5 CCG vessels
• Escoda Shoal: 3 PLAN vessels and 3 CCG vessels
• Pag-asa Islands: 2 PLAN vessels and 3 CCG vessels

Tensions in the South China Sea persist as Beijing claims almost the entire strategic waterway, through which more than $3 trillion worth of goods are shipped annually.

The area is also subject to overlapping territorial and maritime claims by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.

The Philippine government uses the name West Philippine Sea to refer to maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago, including the Luzon Sea and the waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc.

In 2016, an arbitral tribunal constituted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea ruled in favor of the Philippines in its case against China, finding that China's claims to historic rights within the so-called nine-dash line had no legal basis under the convention.