China ships increase in West Philippine Sea in 2026More than 50 Chinese vessels swarm the vicinity of Iroquois Reef and Sabina Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, July 7. MANILA, Philippines — Just two weeks into 2026, the number of Chinese coast guard and naval vessels in the West Philippine Sea has increased, with some of them on several occasions even sailing dangerously close to ships of foreign nations engaged in drills or joint sail with Philippine ships. Meanwhile around Ayungin Shoal, Philippine Navy spokesman for the WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad noted the presence of six China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels and eight MMVs during the period. “Overall, for these four features, we have a total of 41 different ships and boats from the PLA Navy, the Chinese Coast Guard and the maritime militia,” Trinidad said. So, we foresee that for 2026, this would be the likely trend, increased presence in our maritime features of PLA Navy, the Coast Guard and the maritime militia,” he explained.

Source: Philippine Star January 13, 2026 16:10 UTC