The Chinese military for the first time conducted a “bomber formation patrol” with its fighter jets over the disputed South China Sea on Sunday (November 16, 2025) as a “warning” to the Philippines after its navy conducted joint patrols with the U.S. and Japan.

China, which claims most of the South China Sea, is locked in an intractable maritime dispute with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, which have counterclaims over the area that is home to busy regional and international trade routes.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theatre Command announced that it had conducted a bomber formation patrol amid the Philippines’ so-called “joint patrols” with external forces — the first time it has announced such a move, according to the state-run Global Times.

The two-day maritime exercise by the U.S., Japan and the Philippines ran from Friday to Saturday.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Southern Theatre Command, Senior Colonel Tian Junli, said the Philippines has frequently colluded with external forces to carry out so-called “joint patrols,” undermining regional peace and stability.

“We solemnly warn the Philippine side to immediately stop provoking incidents and escalating tensions,” he said.

The theatre command forces maintain a high level of alert at all times, resolutely safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and peace and stability in the South China Sea region, Mr. Tian said.

Any attempt to infringe on the sovereignty and stir up trouble will never succeed, he added.

According to military affairs experts, the bomber formation is one of the PLA’s diversified strike methods.

Song Zhongping, a military affairs expert, told the Global Times that the bombers are among the most important air strike forces, and the dispatch of a bomber formation can demonstrate stronger strike capability. These can also carry out effective saturation attacks even if the opponent has large surface ships, he said.

The Philippines has been courting external forces to conduct so-called “joint patrols” in the South China Sea, posing threats to China’s sovereignty over its islands and reefs, he said.

Against this background, the PLA bomber formation’s patrol could serve as a warning to the provocateurs’ warships, Mr. Song added.

China’s bomber patrols

In recent months, tensions between the Philippines and China escalated with naval and coast guard ships of both countries colliding to assert control of the areas they claim.

China’s bomber patrols also came in the backdrop of a sudden spurt of tensions between China and Japan.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi recently said that any Taiwan emergency involving the use of military force by China could be recognised as a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan under its security legislation, which may allow it to exercise the right of collective self-defence.

Her remarks have stirred up a major diplomatic row between Tokyo and Beijing.

China warned that any Japanese intervention in Taiwan would be seen as an act of aggression and would be met with strong retaliation.

A commentary by the Chinese military mouthpiece, the PLA Daily, on Sunday warned that Japan risked turning its entire country into a battlefield if it intervened militarily in the Taiwan Strait.

In the strongly worded commentary, the official newspaper of the PLA said Takaichi had revealed Tokyo’s “wolfish ambition to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs through military means”.

The commentary warned that Japan’s “misguided actions” would only lead the country “down a path of no return”.

“It risks the entire country becoming a battlefield,” it said.

Meanwhile, reports from Tokyo said on Sunday that following Ms. Takaichi’s firm stand, her public approval rate rose to 69.9%, up 5.5% points from the previous poll conducted shortly after she took office late last month. 

The survey, held over two days from Saturday, found that 60.4% favoured an increase in defence spending to bolster Japan’s defence capabilities, while 48.8% supported the exercise of its right to collective self-defence in the event of a Taiwan contingency, according to the Japanese news agency, Kyodo.

Published – November 16, 2025 06:43 pm IST

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attends the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-United States Defence Ministers’ High Tea, as part of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ meeting, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on November 1, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP

This video grab released by the Arakan Army shows burning buildings in the headquarters of the army’s western command in Ann township, Rakhine state, Myanmar, Dec. 17, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Southeast Asian Foreign Ministers gathered Sunday (January 19, 2025) for their first meeting this year under the regional bloc’s new chair, Malaysia, seeking a breakthrough over Myanmar’s drawn-out civil war and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

The retreat on the idyllic northern resort island of Langkawi was the first major meeting of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations hosted by Malaysia. Officials said it aims to chart the bloc’s direction for the year as it tries to resolve Myanmar’s deadly four-year crisis and tensions over China’s increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said ASEAN must bolster unity and make economic integration a top priority amid global uncertainties and the U.S.-China rivalry in the region. He said the second term of incoming U.S. President Donald Trump has also raised questions on how it will shape dynamics in the region.

“There is much to prepare for. Above all, what we need to anticipate are the potential challenges to ASEAN centrality,” he told the opening of the meeting. “We must ensure that ASEAN remains our central go-to platform for solution seeking… We are the speakers and not the spoken-for. We must drive our own path forward.”

The crisis in Myanmar has emerged as one of the bloc’s biggest challenges since a military coup ousted an elected civilian government in February 2021, plunging the country into conflict. It has sparked an armed resistance movement, with rebel forces now controlling large parts of the country. The war has killed tens of thousands of people, and displaced millions.

ASEAN’s peace plan and other efforts to seek a solution have been futile as Myanmar’s junta has not been compliant. ASEAN banned Myanmar’s military leaders from formal ASEAN meetings but the bloc’s non-interference policy has hampered its role. The military government plans an election this year to legitimize its rule but critics say polls are unlikely to be free or fair.

Malaysia, which brought Myanmar into ASEAN during its chairmanship of the bloc in 1997, is expected to take a more proactive stance as the Myanmar crisis has led to the flourishing of criminal activities, online scams and human trafficking along Myanmar’s border.

Hasan last month said Malaysia had appointed Othman Hashim, a former foreign ministry senior official, as its special envoy to Myanmar to engage various factions in the country to find a way forward.

Tensions in the South China Sea, one of the world’s vital shipping lanes, are also high on the agenda Sunday following violent confrontations in the waters last year. ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei along with Taiwan have overlapping claims with China, which asserts sovereignty over virtually all of the South China Sea.

Chinese and Philippine vessels clashed repeatedly last year. Chinese forces also assaulted Vietnamese fishermen and Chinese patrol vessels ventured into areas that Indonesia and Malaysia claim as exclusive economic zones.

The Philippines has pushed for negotiations between ASEAN and China for a code of conduct in the waterway but talks have stalled over disagreements including whether the pact should be binding and its scope of coverage. ASEAN has not openly criticized China, which is the bloc’s top trading partner.

As chair, Malaysia is likely to push for quiet diplomacy as it balances security challenges with economic gains, analysts say.

“It would be pragmatism on Malaysia’s side, as the country — as well as ASEAN as a whole — lack the diplomatic and military heft to confront China on the South China Sea,” said Muhamamd Faizal Abdul Rahman, a research fellow at Singapore’s S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

This photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, shows the damage on its vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua after a Chinese Coast Guard vessel with bow number 5205 collided near Sabina Shoal at the disputed South China Sea Saturday, August 31, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Beijing insisted on Monday (September 2, 2024) it was defending its “rights” in the South China Sea, after the Philippines released footage appearing to show a Chinese coast guard vessel ramming one of its ships during an at-sea confrontation.

Both countries accused each other on Saturday (August 31, 2024) of deliberately ramming their coast guard ships near a flashpoint shoal in the South China Sea, the latest in a spate of similar incidents in recent weeks.

The incident took place off the disputed Sabina Shoal, located 140 km west of the Philippine island of Palawan and about 1,200 km from Hainan island, the nearest major Chinese landmass.

Footage released by the Philippine coast guard of the incident appeared to show the Chinese vessel coming up from behind the ship and ramming it.

Another clip also showed what appeared to be a deliberate collision.

Asked about the footage on Monday (September 2, 2024), Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning reiterated Beijing’s claim the Philippines had “deliberately rammed” the Chinese vessel.

“The root cause of the current situation, or the current escalation of the situation, is that the Philippines sent coast guard ships to linger in the lagoon of the Xianbin Reef for a long time and attempt to permanently occupy it,” Ms. Mao said, using the Chinese name for the shoal.

“China’s actions on Xianbin Reef are rights protection actions to safeguard China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, which is legal and above-board,” she added.

Beijing claims almost all of the economically vital South China Sea despite competing claims from other countries and an international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

Saturday’s collision was the fifth incident of Chinese maritime harassment in August, Philippine coast guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said.

China and the Philippines accused each other on Saturday, August 31, of deliberately ramming their coast guard ships near a flashpoint shoal in the South China Sea.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

China and the Philippines accused each other on Saturday (August 31, 2024) of deliberately ramming their coast guard ships near a flashpoint shoal in the South China Sea, the latest in a spate of similar incidents in recent weeks.

China claims almost all of the economically vital waterway despite competing claims from other countries and an international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

A Chinese coast guard spokesperson said Saturday’s incident took place off the disputed Sabina Shoal, which has emerged as a new hotspot in the long-running maritime confrontations between Manila and Beijing.

Sabina Shoal is located 140 km west of the Philippine island of Palawan and about 1,200 km from Hainan island, the nearest major Chinese landmass.

Shortly after noon (0400 GMT), a Philippine ship “deliberately collided with” a Chinese vessel near the shoal, known in Chinese as Xianbin, China Coast Guard spokesperson Liu Dejun said, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

“China exercises indisputable sovereignty” in this zone, Liu said, condemning the “unprofessional and dangerous” conduct of the Philippine vessel.

However, Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said it was the China Coast Guard vessel 5205 that “directly and intentionally rammed” the Philippines’ 97-metre ship, BRP Teresa Magbanua.

The vessel has been anchored inside Sabina Shoal since April to assert Manila’s claim over the area.

Mr. Tarriela said the ramming happened three times, hitting the BRP Teresa Magbanua‘s port bow, starboard quarter and port beam.

No crew members were injured during the incident but the ship’s bridge wing and freeboard were damaged. A hole was also found.

“It is important for us to take note that this ramming happened despite… our unprovoked action and presence in Escoda Shoal,” Mr. Tarriela told reporters, using the Filipino name for Sabina Shoal.

‘Serious concern’

The collision was the fifth incident of Chinese maritime harassment this month, Mr. Tarriela said.

National Maritime Council Spokesperson Alexander Lopez said a report about the latest clash would be sent to the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs for review and appropriate action.

“We take this with serious concern,” Lopez told a news conference.

“We are there on a legal basis because that is ours, we don’t need to ask for permission in our own territory. Let us be very clear about it,” he said.

Philippine and Chinese vessels have collided near Sabina Shoal at least twice this month and analysts say Beijing is trying to move deeper into Manila’s exclusive economic zone and normalise Chinese control of the area.

The discovery this year of piles of crushed coral at the shoal ignited suspicion in Manila that Beijing was planning to build another permanent base there, which would be its closest outpost to the Philippine archipelago.

Recent clashes between Philippine and Chinese vessels have also taken place around Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands.

A Filipino sailor lost a thumb in a clash there in June when Chinese coast guard members wielding knives, sticks and an axe foiled a Philippine Navy attempt to resupply a small garrison.

Sabina Shoal is also the rendezvous point for Philippine resupply missions to the garrison on Second Thomas Shoal.

The repeated confrontations prompted Manila to brand Beijing the “biggest disruptor” to peace in Southeast Asia at a defence conference this month.