Growing Chinese surveillance in Philippines waters flagged

MANILA, Philippines — A maritime advocacy group has warned authorities of the increasing number of Chinese research vessels within Philippine waters, and called on the government not to ignore the development.

Alyansa ng Bantay sa Kapayapaan at Demokrasya (ABKD) said two Chinese military hydrographic survey vessels, identified as Hai Yang 23 Hao (Qian Xuesen 873) and Hai Yang 24 Hao (Deng Jiaxian 874), were detected on Sept. 11.

ABKD chairman Jose Antonio Goitia said the vessels are operated by the People’s Liberation Army and are capable of collecting detailed data on the depth, contours and condition of the seabed.

“Seabed data can be used for scientific research, but it can also assist with naval navigation and submarine operations,” said Goitia. “This becomes particularly sensitive when such data is collected near critical infrastructure such as undersea cables.”

Goitia said there is a need to determine the activities of these foreign military survey ships and the type of information they may be collecting, citing potential national security concern.

ABKD said Qian Xuesen 873 was located 1.15 nautical miles south of Galoc Island in Palawan, while Deng Jiaxian 874 was spotted 64.28 nautical miles west-northwest of Panatag Shoal.

“For the Philippines, the issue is not only about who is sailing on the surface of the sea. It is also important to know who is gathering information about the seabed, natural resources, and critical infrastructure beneath it,” Goitia said.

He added that 48 China Coast Guard and PLA vessels were monitored in four key areas of the West Philippine Sea from Sept. 8 to 14.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) previously recorded another Chinese research ship operating within Panatag Shoal for 28 days in August.

Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), consent from the coastal state should be secured for research activities within its exclusive economic zone.

The PCG noted that the marine scientific research was unauthorized, as confirmed by the Department of Foreign Affairs. It has since urged China to disclose the findings of the ships’ activities.

Gibo seeks collective action

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. yesterday called for collective action to safeguard the country’s maritime domain and advance the development of a blue economy.

Speaking at the Third Balangay Forum at Asia Pacific College (APC) in observance of the 2026 Maritime Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANAMo) in Makati City, Teodoro stressed that national convergence and regional cooperation remain pivotal in such initiatives.

“We have to use all the resources within that maritime domain in order to support our population on land, which admittedly is growing. Coupled with the fact that we have challenges of climate change, development, and food production. We have to rely increasingly in the maritime domain in order to augment our sustenance and probably even habitation,” he said.

Teodoro also emphasized the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ critical role in defending the country’s maritime domain.

“That is why we are developing the capacity of the armed forces to enforce, in coordination with our law enforcement agencies in a sustainable and logistically secure and sound manner, the laws of the Republic of the Philippines and the norms that we have agreed to in international treaties, particularly and principally the UN Charter,” he said.

He underscored the relevance of defense initiatives and engagements with partner nations to enhance humanitarian activities, economic advancement, regional stability and maritime deterrence, and to uphold sovereign rights in accordance with rules-based international order.

“We have to work with like-minded countries to open international routes, sea lanes of communication, that the world knows, because there are attempts to change the narrative. And a big example of changing the narrative is China’s nine-dash line,” he explained.

“We saw what happened in Mischief Reef, where they claimed — no less than their foreign minister — very theatrically claimed, that they will never militarize it, [that] it’s only for peaceful purposes. And now, you see a heavily militarized artificial island,” he said. — Michael Punongbayan