China tells PH: Stop ‘provocations’ in WPS involving US (2025)

An aerial view from the Philippine Navy’s Agusta Westland 109 helicopter shows BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150), USS Shoup (DDG-86), and JS Noshiro (FFM-3) executing synchronized maneuvers during a joint maritime drill near Panatag Shoal in the West Philippine Sea on March 28, 2025. — Photos: LT. Col, John Paul Salgado, AFP public affairs office

MANILA, Philippines — China on Saturday warned the Philippines to stop its “provocations” in disputed maritime waters, specifically activities that involve the participation of the United States.

Beijing made the warning a day after the Philippines, the US, and Japan conducted joint maritime drills near Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea as US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited Manila to reaffirm Washington’s ironclad commitment to its oldest treaty in Asia.

While the joint drills were ongoing, China’s military conducted what it called “routine patrols” from a distance.

READ: China ‘challenges’ PH, US aircraft as joint drills begin

A spokesman for the Southern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army said the Philippines frequently enlisted foreign countries to organize joint patrols “aiming to propagate illegal claims in the South China Sea, thereby creating destabilizing factors and deliberately undermining regional peace and stability.”

“We warn the Philippines to cease its provocations and escalation of tensions in the South China Sea. Relying on external forces for support is destined to be futile,” state-owned media Global Times quoted People’s Liberation Army-Southern Theater Command (STC) Tian Junli as saying.

Tian said the PLA-STC continues to be on “high alert” to protect China’s “national sovereignty.”

Maritime security challenges

During the daylong drills held about 57 kilometers southeast of Panatag, the Philippines deployed the BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150) while the US and Japan sent their guided missile destroyer, the United States Navy (USN) USS Shoup (DDG-86) and the multi-mission frigate Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force the JS NOSHIRO (FFM-3).

The US Navy’s P-8A Poseidon aircraft and the Philippine Navy’s Agusta Westland 109 helicopter also joined the drills.

The joint drills were part of the 8th Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MMCA) that started last year.

In a statement on Friday, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said the MMCA “strengthens our capacity to respond to maritime security challenges while reinforcing our collective ability to safeguard our national interests.”

The drills aim to enhance interoperability and strengthen the combined capabilities of participating forces, the AFP said.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro on Friday afternoon at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Hegseth said Manila and Washington’s ironclad alliance “has never been stronger.”

He warned China to “reconsider whether or not violence or action is something they want to undertake.”

During his meeting with President Marcos in Malacañang on Friday morning, Hegseth said deterrence was necessary, particularly in the Philippines, and referred to threats from Beijing, calling it “communist Chinese.”

“Friends need to stand shoulder-to-shoulder to deter conflict [and] to ensure that there’s free navigation. Whether you call it the South China Sea or the West Philippine Sea, we recognize that your country has to stand very firm in that location and in defense of your nation,” he said.