China, Philippines Report Encounter in South China Sea

A Chinese coast guard vessel near Scarborough Shoal in 2024.
Photographer: Ted Aljibe/AFP/Getty Images

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By Neil Jerome Morales and Qianwei Zhang

June 20, 2025 at 6:19 AM UTC

Updated on

June 20, 2025 at 11:50 PM UTC

China’s coast guard said it drove away a Philippine ship around Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, the latest friction in a longstanding rivalry in the strategic waterway.

“The China Coast Guard gradually took necessary measures such as shouting warnings, following and forcing, and water cannon warnings to drive away the Philippine ship,” it said in a statement.