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Cristina Chi - Philstar.com
May 18, 2026 | 10:01am
A Chinese research vessel, as seen in this photo shared by the Philippine Coast Guard, sails near Pag-asa Cays 2 and 3, May 17, 2026.
Philippine Coast Guard
MANILA, Philippines — A Chinese oceanographic survey vessel and two China Coast Guard ships were spotted in the territorial waters of Pag-asa Island over the weekend, according to the Philippine Coast Guard, with Chinese personnel seen landing on two sandbars.
The Xiang Yang Hong 33, a research vessel capable of deploying submersibles and mapping the deep seabed, was flagged by the PCG as operating in the waters around Cay-2 and Cay-3. These are two sandbars that fall within the 12-nautical-mile territorial sea of Pag-asa, the largest Philippine-occupied feature in the Kalayaan Island Group.
The PCG, which detected the vessels on May 16, said China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel 5101 and CCG 5309 launched rigid-hulled inflatable boats and rubber boats that ferried Chinese personnel onto Cay-2 and then Cay-3.
A total of 20 Chinese maritime militia vessels were scattered in the waters around nearby Sandy Cays 3 and 4, based on the PCG's monitoring.
Unauthorized research. Marine scientific research inside another country's territorial sea requires the prior consent of that country under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Within Philippine territorial waters, foreign vessels enjoy only the right of innocent passage.
The PCG said it dispatched an Islander 4177 aircraft over the Kalayaan Island Group on May 17 and issued multiple radio challenges "demanding they cease their illegal activities."
"The PCG remains steadfast in defending our maritime zones. We will not allow any unauthorized foreign research or incursions into our territorial sea in Pag-asa Island," PCG Commandant Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan said in a statement Sunday, May 17.
The Xiang Yang Hong 33 left Guangzhou on April 15 and crossed into the West Philippine Sea three days later.
For roughly a month, according to the PCG, the ship has been moving between features inside the Philippine exclusive economic zone.
"Since its entry into the Philippine exclusive economic zone almost a month ago, the vessel has been systematically conducting illegal MSR activities across multiple features in Philippine waters," the PCG said.
The Chinese research vessel's capabilities include bathymetric mapping and deep-sea data collection.
Series of incidents. The latest sighting follows a stream of recent incidents around Pag-asa over the past months.
On April 9, the PCG formally elevated its Pag-asa outpost into a full coast guard district base under a commodore-level commander, with a permanently stationed ship. The ceremony itself drew three radio challenges from Chinese forces against a PCG aircraft carrying Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez and Senator Erwin Tulfo to the island.
Days later, the civilian-led Atin Ito coalition sailed its fourth mission to the West Philippine Sea, reaching Pag-asa on May 2 despite being shadowed by at least three China Coast Guard vessels and what the group described as a possible People's Liberation Army Navy warship.
China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, including waters and features well within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, despite a 2016 ruling by an arbitral tribunal that invalidated Beijing's sweeping nine-dash line claim.
