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46 Chinese ships, vessels spotted in 3 WPS features in July

Philippine News Agency

By Priam Nepomuceno
August 5, 2025, 6:04 pm

MANILA -- The number of Chinese warships and coast guard vessels spotted in three key West Philippine Sea (WPS) features slightly went down in July, a ranking naval official said on Tuesday.

From 49 in June, the number went down to 46 in July, according to Philippine Navy spokesperson for the WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad.

Trinidad said the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships and China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels were spotted in the following WPS features:

--Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal (13 CCG vessels, 15 PLAN ships)
--Ayungin Shoal (eight CCG vessels, five PLAN ships)
--Pag-asa Island (three CCG vessels, two PLAN ships)

Trinidad attributed the slight decrease to "maintenance and repair schedule" of the Chinese ships deployed in the three areas.

The Philippines is locked in a years-long territorial dispute with China over parts of the resource-rich South China Sea (SCS), including portions Manila refers to as WPS.

In 2016, the Philippines won a landmark case against China's massive claim in the SCS before an arbitration tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, but China does not recognize the ruling and continues to maintain presence in the WPS. (PNA)