The Latest Breaking News from South China Sea

The confrontation near the Scarborough Shoal was the latest flare-up of the long-simmering territorial standoff in the contested waters of the South China Sea.

The ships collided on 11 August 2025 while pursuing a Philippine vessel near Scarborough Shoal, causing substantial damage and escalating tensions in the disputed South China Sea

The U.S. Pacific Fleet commander says China has failed to intimidate rival claimant states into surrendering their sovereign interests in the South China Sea despite its intensifying “bullying tactics” and the United States and other allied countries are ready to further boost deterrence against Beijing’s aggression

The Philippines' foreign ministry has summoned China's ambassador after Beijing imposed sanctions on a former Filipino senator who has been critical of China’s actions in the disputed South China Sea

A 2016 international arbitration decision invalidated China’s claims based on the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, but Beijing has rejected the ruling and continues to defy it.

The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have been involved in prolonged territorial standoffs but confrontations between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and naval forces have spiked in recent years.

The South China Sea has long been a bubbling geopolitical hot spot. Recently, a series of moves by the various nations claiming a stake in the waters has stirred up yet more trouble.

Filipino forces and villagers have been struggling to live in Beijing's shadow in the disputed South China while fighting isolation on remote islands

A Chinese ship has run aground in stormy weather in shallow waters off a Philippines-occupied island in the disputed South China Sea, prompting Filipino forces to go on alert