South China Sea · Full chronicle and history

The Philippine Coast Guard accused Chinese coast guard vessels of obstructing the evacuation of sick military personnel near Second Thomas Shoal. China's Foreign Ministry responded that the Chinese side, out of humanitarian considerations, allowed the Philippine side to transfer the personnel and provided facilitation, and accused the Philippines of making a false countercharge.

On October 4, the Philippine Coast Guard reported that while the PCG, the navy and the police were pursuing a foreign fishing boat suspected of blast fishing near Thitu Island, they were blocked by two Chinese coast guard ships, one of which at one point came within about 9 meters of the Philippine speedboat, and a PLA Navy helicopter circled the area four times. The fishing boat headed in the direction of Subi Reef, and the Philippine side stopped the pursuit for safety reasons, saying the matter will be handled through diplomatic channels.

On September 27, the Chinese PLA Southern Theater Command organized joint exercises in the maritime and air space around Scarborough Shoal, stating that the action targets certain countries disrupting regional stability.

According to a Reuters report on August 19, satellite images show China carrying out large-scale land reclamation at the disputed Antelope Reef in the Paracel Islands, the first artificial island construction of this scale in the South China Sea since 2017; CSIS's Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative said dredging began around October 2025.

The U.S. Department of State issued a statement criticizing China's establishment of a national nature reserve at Scarborough Shoal and its actions to block Filipino fishermen from accessing their traditional fishing grounds, calling them destabilizing.

About a year after a collision between a China Coast Guard vessel and a Chinese Navy ship near Scarborough Shoal, official Chinese information has confirmed that the accident resulted in casualties on the Chinese side.

On July 20, the Chinese and Philippine coast guards clashed near Second Thomas Shoal. The Philippine side accused Chinese personnel of using clubs in an attack that injured a Filipino service member; the China Coast Guard responded that Philippine personnel rammed Chinese vessels and used clubs and oars to attack Chinese personnel.

When the CCTV-affiliated account “Yuyuantian” posted photos of the South China Sea standoff, it re‑edited the image to erase the “Chinese People's Armed Police” label on the loudspeaker; after netizens raised doubts, it opened a comment highlight.

Chinese Coast Guard ships and Philippine Navy vessels clashed near Second Thomas Shoal, with each side accusing the other of dangerous and aggressive actions.

On July 12, 2026, on the tenth anniversary of the South China Sea arbitration, 14 countries including the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Australia, as well as the European Union, issued separate statements reaffirming that the arbitral award is binding and explicitly rejecting China's claims of historic rights in the South China Sea based on the nine-dash line.

On July 12, 2026, the 10th anniversary of the South China Sea arbitration ruling, the EU, the US, the UK, Japan, Australia and other countries issued a joint statement reaffirming the legally binding force of the ruling. A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry subsequently responded toughly, criticizing external forces for endorsing the illegal ruling.

The U.S. aircraft carrier USS George Washington strike group passed through the Bashi Channel into the South China Sea, deterring the Chinese Communist Party military.

The program stated that European warships recently sailed into the South China Sea, and the related actions were condemned by the whole world.

The Philippines sent a large number of coast guard vessels directly into the waters around Scarborough Shoal, where they clashed head-on with vessels of the Chinese Communist Party military.

The Southern Theater Command organized naval and air forces to conduct combat readiness patrols in the territorial waters and airspace of Scarborough Shoal and the surrounding maritime and air areas, maintaining stability in the southern defense zone.

A video claims that recently there are no longer Chinese vessels at Scarborough Shoal, and the relevant vessels of the China Coast Guard, Navy, and Southern Theater Command have all pulled back and retreated.

It is alleged that a collision between CCP vessels and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea caused the deaths of two military personnel, aged 21 and 25; related claims state that the incident was not disclosed until August 2026.

In August 2025, in the waters near Huangyan Island in the South China Sea, a Chinese coast guard vessel collided violently with another Chinese warship while chasing a Philippine patrol boat. Philippine officials released video of the incident, saying the accident was caused by the Chinese side obstructing a resupply operation for Philippine fishermen.

Two US aircraft carriers are returning from the Middle East theater to East Asia, one of which is the USS Abraham Lincoln, and the other is the USS Tripoli. The return route passes through the Indian Ocean and the Strait of Malacca, with plans to deploy in the South China Sea and near the First Island Chain close to Japan and South Korea, respectively. Previously, the US typically maintained a long-term deployment of one aircraft carrier in East Asia, while the Middle East remains a theater of war requiring protection in the Strait of Hormuz; therefore, the simultaneous return of two carriers is viewed as an unusual military movement.

In October 1976, the operation to arrest the Gang of Four inside Zhongnanhai was carried out by the Central Guard Regiment (Unit 8341), with Zhang Yaoci leading dozens of guard soldiers to carry it out; at the time Wang Dongxing concurrently served as director of the CCP Central Committee General Office and head of the Guard Bureau.