Here’s why China is on military, propaganda offensive against Phl

Beijing has intensified its military presence in Philippine waters this 2026. It has also magnified disinformation against Manila.

What’s the China Communist Party up to?

On Jan. 1-7 the AFP spotted 41 People’s Liberation Army-Navy warships, China Coast Guard gunboats and China Maritime Militia armed trawlers in the West Philippine Sea.

Three weeks later the number rose to 55, still in four WPS areas: Scarborough (Bajo de Masinloc), Second Thomas (Ayungin) and Sabina (Escoda) Shoals, and Spratly (Kalayaan) Isles.

Not only is it double the weekly average in 2025, Philippine Navy spokesman Rear Adm. Roy Trinidad noted. PLAN warships also drew closer to mainland Luzon – only 23 nautical miles from Pangasinan.

PLAN markedly increased its trespasses in WPS starting 2024. Frigates and corvettes even sailed near Filipino naval drills with allies US, Australia and Japan.

On Aug. 11, 2025 a PLAN destroyer and a CCG cutter tried to ram the Philippine Coast Guard’s small BRP Suluan. The PCG craft outmaneuvered the pincer. CCG 3104 collided with PLAN 164 and stalled as water rushed into its wrecked bow.

On Dec. 1, amid China’s mock naval invasion of Taiwan, PLAN survey ships anchored near Batanes islets to launch submersible drones.

On Jan. 12, PLAN 621 and CCG 23521 blocked a Filipino fishing vessel a few miles off Scarborough. With sirens blaring and water cannons and machine guns cocked, the Chinese trespassers dangerously drew less than 30 meters from the wooden boat.

Dozens of other harassments occurred since 2023. As each unfolded, PCG spokesman Comm. Jay Tarriela presented video and photo evidence. Some footages were taken by Filipino broadcasters and victimized fishers.

Clips presented by the Chinese side proved altered. Beijing kept losing face.

The 70 percent awareness among Filipinos of Beijing aggressions rose to 94 percent. Aside from the US, scores of other countries, including China trade partners, denounced Beijing’s bullying.

Manila’s “transparency initiative” clearly worked.

This month, China embassy deputy spokesman Guo Wei retaliated with undiplomatic language. He accused Filipino officials of lying. Singling out Tarriela 15 times on Facebook, he claimed that the transparency initiative was a smear job.

Guo also badmouthed Sens. Risa Hontiveros and Kiko Pangilinan, Reps. Leila de Lima and Chel Diokno, and Malacañang’s National Maritime Commission.

All that time, new Chinese Amb. Jing Quan kept busy feting in Manila or touring in his homeland certain Filipino local officials, selected academics and media figures. Angpao or red envelopes are handed out, geopolitics scholar Renato de Castro, PhD, told Sapol-dwIZ Saturday.

Tarriela at first thought that the new viciousness was the handiwork of Jing and Guo.

But the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing also summoned Philippine Amb. Jaime FlorCruz to berate the Philippine government.

Clearly, Tarriela realized, the CCP is on military and propaganda offensive. And it has likely to do with Manila’s chairmanship of ASEAN this year.

As host of dozens of ASEAN events, Manila will be in prime position to present its side of the South China Sea dispute. CCG will be exposed as coddler of illegal, unreported, unregulated fishing by CMM trawlers. Beijing’s nine-, then ten-, now 11-dash line will be exposed as bogus.

Guo also maligned Ray Powell, a retired US sailor who now heads SeaLight. Powell’s foundation reports on CCG gray zone activities. It tracks PLAN, CCG and CMM vessels that intrude Vietnamese, Malaysian and Indonesian waters after exiting WPS.

It shows the bigger ASEAN picture not covered by Admirals Tarriela and Trinidad.

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