MANILA, Philippines — Over the past three years, the Philippines has experienced an escalation of confrontations with China in the West Philippine Sea, ranging from deliberate sideswiping to repeated firing of water cannons.
Less than a year after the start of the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the government marked a sharp departure from the previous administration’s appeasement policy toward China, which has consistently dismissed a landmark 2016 arbitral decision that invalidated its nine-, now 10-dash, line claim over the South China Sea.
Marcos initially sought to maintain diplomatic engagement with a state visit to China in January 2023, where he met Chinese President Xi Jinping and pledged to strengthen bilateral relations.
The two leaders even agreed to establish a “direct communication mechanism” to prevent possible misunderstanding on issues related to the South China Sea, where the Philippines is asserting its sovereignty on the basis of its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) provided for under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Their statement also reasserted the importance of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, which was signed by China and the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2002 to protect peace and stability in the region.
However, a little over a month later, on Feb. 6, 2023, tensions escalated in the West Philippine Sea as a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel directed a military-grade laser at the BRP Malapascua of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), which was on a resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.
READ: China harasses Philippine Coast Guard vessel with laser
The CCG vessel with bow No. 5205 pointed a green light twice toward the PCG boat, causing temporary blindness to some crew members at the bridge, or main command center, at past 6 p.m., when the BRP Malapascua was 19.5 kilometers off the shoal.
China has consistently denied that it was behind the escalation of tensions in the West Philippine Sea, saying it has the right to call out the Philippines for encroachment in its waters. In most instances, China has alleged that the Philippines was engaging in dangerous maneuvers that resulted in collisions between vessels.
The government has denied China’s allegations, citing videos of what have been described as “gray zone” attacks against the Philippines by China in waters well within the country’s EEZ.
Chester Cabalza, a defense analyst and president of the think tank International Development and Security Cooperation, previously said the intensity of China’s gray zone tactics in the West Philippine Sea was evolving and becoming more sophisticated with the introduction of weapons such as military-grade lasers and powerful water cannons.
READ: PCG condemns China Coast Guard’s water cannon attack in WPS
On Aug. 6, 2023, the PCG condemned the CCG’s “illegal” and “dangerous” use of water cannon against its vessels conducting a resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre, a World War II-era warship grounded to serve as an outpost for the Philippines in Ayungin Shoal.
Over a month later, the CCG installed a 300-meter floating barrier in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, which is only 220 kilometers off the coast of Zambales province. The barrier prevented Filipino fishermen from entering the area, which the arbitral tribunal had declared a traditional fishing ground.
Before this, the Philippines had already initiated 43 diplomatic protests against China. However, instead of de-escalation, tensions remained high, with intensified and even more violent confrontations.
According to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), China acted like “pirates” in its June 17, 2024, attack against the Philippine Navy off Ayungin Shoal. The CCG “illegally boarded” vessels while wielding bolos, knives and spears. Chinese vessels likewise engaged in a “high-speed ramming” that resulted in a collision, severing the right thumb of a Filipino crew member.
READ: AFP chief: China Coast Guard used bolos, acted like pirates
Then on Sept. 15, 2025, a water cannon attack by the CCG shattered the bridge window of a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel, injuring a crew member. The next month, a Chinese coast guard vessel rammed the BRP Datu Pagbuaya.
READ: Over 200 diplomatic protests filed vs China since 2022 – DFA
As of October 2025, the government had lodged over 200 diplomatic protests, but what has been condemned as “harassment” by the CCG and Chinese militia vessels did not end, with Filipino fishermen experiencing China’s water cannon, dangerous blocking maneuvers and cutting of anchor lines. /dm
The post From lasers to water cannons: China’s aggression in West Philippine Sea appeared first on Inquirer.net.
