Chinese vessel in Bajo de Masinloc conducted surveillance, not drilling

The Armed Forces of the Philippines announced that a Chinese research vessel remained in the contested waters of Bajo de Masinloc for 28 days, conducting surveillance rather than any drilling operations. a journalist at one outlet special spokesperson, Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, explained that the ship’s track indicated research activity and that a stationary pattern, required for drilling, was absent. He noted that the Philippines’ monitoring capabilities did not register any drilling signatures.

The vessel’s presence was initially. This episode highlights the persistent Chinese claim over the area, which the Philippines continues to assert despite the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration decision. The encounter adds to a series of maritime frictions between the two nations in the West Philippine Sea.