China Coast Guard Expels Philippine Vessels Near Huangyan Dao

The China Coast Guard tracked and expelled two Philippine government vessels, 3012 and 3018, from the waters around Huangyan Dao on July 23, 2026. Spokesperson Jiang Lue stated the vessels ignored repeated warnings, leading China to employ interception and control operations. The agency also reported driving away several vessels from the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources on July 22 through verbal warnings.

These encounters follow a separate clash earlier in the week at the Second Thomas Shoal. The Armed Forces of the Philippines dismissed Chinese allegations that Philippine boats rammed a patrol vessel, calling the claims false and characterized a Chinese rigid-hull inflatable boat's presence near the BRP Sierra Madre as an unlawful intrusion.

Diplomatic tensions escalated during a July 22 ASEAN meeting, where foreign ministers from both nations exchanged protests. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned that Manila would face consequences if it continued to provoke Beijing with external support. Conversely, Philippines Ambassador to India Josel F. Ignacio asserted that China's maritime claims are invalidated by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling, stating that the rule of law in the region is under great challenge.