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China's Drills, the UN, and the Philippines' Next Move

Article by J. Salazar

Published on August 7, 2026 11:00AM


Military officials verify PLA Navy exercises near Philippine feature as Manila deposits official nautical chart with United Nations, reinforcing sovereign rights in West Philippine Sea.


The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) confirmed on Tuesday that Chinese naval drills were conducted near Bajo de Masinloc on July 31 and August 1, 2026, marking the first time Manila directly observed such activity after previously disputing Beijing’s claims of exercises in the area. ¹ ⁶


The confirmation comes as the Philippines continues to strengthen its maritime partnerships and assert its sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea through legal and diplomatic channels, including the recent deposit of its official nautical chart of Bajo de Masinloc with the United Nations. ²


Verified PLA Navy activity near Philippine waters


AFP spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said during a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo that military forces monitored the activity conducted by the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) on the specified dates. ¹


“The identified Chinese maritime and military assets consisted of five (5) PLA Navy warships, one (1) replenishment ship, two (2) hovercraft, two (2) helicopters, and an unidentified number of fighter aircraft during the said dates,” Trinidad said. ¹


The PLA’s Southern Theater Command had earlier announced that it conducted naval and air exercises involving a large Chinese bomber aircraft within Bajo de Masinloc, located 124 nautical miles from the coastal waters of Zambales and about 427 nautical miles from Hainan, China. ¹


National Maritime Council spokesperson Undersecretary Alexander Lopez previously disputed China’s claim, saying the report that the PLA conducted maritime drills was “deemed not credible.” ⁹ However, the AFP’s subsequent confirmation validated the presence of organized Chinese military activity in the area. ¹


Strategic timing amid multilateral exercises


The Chinese naval drills were monitored shortly after the 17th Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MMCA) involving the Philippines, the United States, and Japan in waters west of Zambales and east of Bajo de Masinloc. The joint maritime activity, which took place from June 21 to 25, 2026, demonstrated the Philippines’ growing ability to coordinate with modern militaries in support of international law. ¹


“The message to the entire world, not to any particular country, is that the Philippines is not alone in its stand of supporting international law. Our modernization program is on track. We could now plug and play with modern militaries, and activities like this will continue in the near future,” Trinidad said. ¹


During the MMCA, Trinidad said the US’s George Washington carrier strike group, consisting of an aircraft carrier, a cruiser, a naval destroyer, and submarine support, and a Japanese warship joined the joint maritime activity. The presence of these allied forces underscored the Philippines’ commitment to maintaining a rules-based order in the West Philippine Sea. ¹


Philippines deposits official chart with UN


In a significant diplomatic move, the Philippines formally deposited its official nautical chart of Panatag Shoal (Scarborough) and its surrounding waters with the United Nations on July 29, 2026. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the chart was deposited with the UN Secretariat nearly two (2) years after China had done the same. ²


Philippine Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN Enrique Manalo formally presented National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (Namria) Chart No. 1567, titled ‘Bajo de Masinloc and Approach,’ to Alice Hicuburundi, deputy director of the UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea. ²


The deposit sets the maritime limits to the Philippines’ claim over this West Philippine Sea feature on the international record despite China’s continued control over the area. This action reinforces the Philippines’ sovereign rights under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 arbitral ruling that affirmed Manila’s maritime entitlements in the West Philippine Sea. ²


Monitoring Chinese presence in West Philippine Sea


Trinidad also confirmed the presence of Chinese maritime militia and coast guard vessels during the AFP’s 17th MMCA within Philippine waters last July, although he said they did not cause any disturbance during the activity. ¹


“There [Chinese vessels] was presence monitored over the horizon, but they didn’t in any way interfere with the conduct of the MMCA,” he said. ¹


In total, the AFP monitored 48 Chinese coast guard and navy vessels in the West Philippine Sea in July, Trinidad reported. This level of monitoring demonstrates the Philippines’ enhanced maritime domain awareness capabilities and its ability to track activities in its exclusive economic zone. ¹


Regional context and continued vigilance


The confirmed Chinese naval drills near Bajo de Masinloc come amid ongoing Chinese maritime activities in the West Philippine Sea. In March 2026, the Philippine Coast Guard confirmed that Chinese naval and air patrols were monitored over Bajo de Masinloc shortly after the Bilateral Consultative Mechanism (BCM) between Manila and Beijing was conducted in Fujian, China. ⁴


Despite the continued presence of Chinese forces in the area, the National Security Council maintained that such activities remain part of China’s “standard operations” in the West Philippine Sea and should not be viewed as an escalation. ⁴


However, the AFP’s ability to verify and document Chinese military activity near Bajo de Masinloc demonstrates the Philippines’ commitment to maintaining transparency and accountability in the West Philippine Sea. This capability is essential for preserving situational awareness and protecting Philippine sovereign rights in the area. ¹


Strategic implications for Philippine maritime security


The recent developments underscore the importance of the Philippines’ continued engagement with international partners and its reliance on legal and diplomatic mechanisms to assert its rights in the West Philippine Sea. ¹ ² The deposit of the official nautical chart with the UN, combined with enhanced monitoring capabilities and multilateral maritime cooperation, positions the Philippines to better protect its interests in the area. ²


As the Philippines continues to modernize its armed forces and strengthen its alliances with countries such as the United States and Japan, the country is better equipped to respond to challenges in the West Philippine Sea while maintaining regional stability. The ability to “plug and play” with modern militaries, as Trinidad noted, demonstrates the Philippines’ growing capability to contribute to a rules-based maritime order in the Indo-Pacific region. ¹

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Notes:


¹ Manila Bulletin. AFP confirms PLA Navy conducted actual naval drills near ... https://mb.com.ph/2026/08/04/afp-confirms-pla-navy-conducted-actual-naval-drills-near-bajo-de-masinloc


² Inquirer. PH deposits Panatag Shoal chart with UN, despite China ... https://www.inquirer.net/483058/ph-deposits-panatag-shoal-chart-with-un-despite-china-control/


³ ABS-CBN News. 4 Chinese vessels follow PH-US maritime exercise near Bajo de Masinloc... https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/29/4-chinese-vessels-follow-ph-us-maritime-exercise-near-bajo-de-masinloc-0732


⁴ ABS-CBN News. NSC says China activities in West PH Sea part of 'standard operations'. https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/3/31/nsc-says-china-activities-in-west-ph-sea-part-of-standard-operations-1718


⁵ Manila Bulletin. AFP, US complete maritime exercises near Bajo de Masinloc as China claims own ‘drills’. https://mb.com.ph/2026/05/31/afp-us-complete-maritime-exercises-near-bajo-de-masinloc-as-china-claims-own-drills


⁶ UNTV. China, nagsagawa ng naval drills sa Bajo de Masinloc kasunod ng PH-US-Japan exercise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttHWF8QhqMQ



⁸ Manila Bulletin. Chinese warships spotted during PH‑US‑Australia maritime drills in ... https://mb.com.ph/2026/02/17/chinese-warships-spotted-during-phusaustralia-maritime-drills-in-wps


⁹ GMA News. AFP debunks alleged Chinese military drills in Bajo de Masinloc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEMS9MxpUJ0


¹⁰ ABS-CBN News. PH, US, Japan hold joint drills in West PH Sea. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snEEYPvrFE4

 
 
 

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