China's military and coast guard conducted joint air and naval combat drills and patrols around the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on July 30-31, 2026. Beijing characterized the maneuvers as a response to actions by countries that undermine regional stability.
Chinese Coast Guard vessels deployed water cannons against Philippine government ships near Scarborough Shoal on July 24, 2026, marking the second consecutive day of such incidents and the third confrontation that week in the disputed South China Sea. A CNN crew was aboard one of the targeted vessels.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ministerial gathering in Manila, amid heightened tensions over China's actions in the South China Sea and broader regional security concerns.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is traveling to Manila this weekend for meetings with Asia-Pacific countries, where he is expected to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to prepare for a possible September summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The discussions are also expected to address South China Sea disputes and regional security issues.
Taiwan's National Security Bureau is tracking an unprecedented deployment of over 110 Chinese naval and coast guard vessels along the First Island Chain, marking what officials describe as an "upward trend" in Chinese military activity during peak exercise season. China has also launched new coast guard patrols east of Taiwan, prompting Taipei to deploy its own vessels in response.
China is constructing a structure at the disputed Scarborough Shoal near the Philippines, prompting Manila to demand its removal while Beijing banned the Philippine defense chief from entry. The U.S. has deployed naval assets to monitor the situation as Chinese vessels also entered waters near Taiwan-controlled Itu Aba island.
China sent Coast Guard vessels on law enforcement patrols in waters east of Taiwan as a show of displeasure after Japan and the Philippines agreed to hold maritime boundary delimitation talks in the region.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has forced policymakers to reassess the vulnerability of the Strait of Malacca; the world's busiest shipping lane, carrying 22% of global maritime trade and 23.2 million barrels of oil daily, surpassing even Hormuz. The crisis has crystallized fears about what a conflict in the South China Sea or Taiwan Strait could mean for the 900km waterway that carries 75% of China's seaborne crude imports and connects East Asia to the Middle East and Europe.
Philippine officials accused Chinese fishermen of dumping cyanide in the South China Sea, warning the poison could harm marine life and weaken the reef supporting a grounded Philippine warship. Beijing rejected the allegation as a "farce."
The Philippine Coast Guard unveiled its first dedicated command center in the disputed Spratly Islands, establishing a permanent presence at Thitu Island in a flashpoint area of the South China Sea that has seen repeated confrontations with China.
