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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider AFP tracks Chinese carrier, amphibious task group near PH's eastern seaboard

AFP tracks Chinese carrier, amphibious task group near PH's eastern seaboard

Published Dec 9, 2025 02:20 pm
Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad (Courtesy of Philippine Navy)
Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad (Courtesy of Philippine Navy)
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) confirmed on Tuesday, Dec. 9, that it has monitored two major Chinese naval formations moving near the eastern seaboard of Luzon facing Okinawa last week as tensions between China and Japan have increased in recent months.
AFP spokesperson for West Philippine Sea (WPS) Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad said the Liaoning carrier group was detected northeast of Luzon, near Okinawa, while a Chinese amphibious assault ship task group was observed days apart along the country’s eastern seaboard, moving south toward Palau and Australia.
Trinidad said the carrier group consisted of the Liaoning aircraft carrier, two escort ships, and a replenishment vessel. The amphibious group had a similar composition which included one amphibious assault ship, two escorts, and one replenishment ship.
He said the two formations were not operating together and were separated by about 600 to 800 miles. He also stressed that both formations sailed outside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) but remained within the AFP’s widened maritime awareness coverage.
“What is important is that the actions, the intent, the objectives of this group sails must be transparent and the actions of the ships, to include their embarked aircraft, must be non-aggressive and abide by international law,” he said.
According to the admiral, the AFP is now monitoring not only WPS but also naval movements across the region given the increasing tensions involving China, Japan, and Taiwan.
“Considering that the Philippines, Japan, and Taiwan are all within the First Island Chain and as mentioned by the Commander in Chief [President Marcos Jr.] that any action in Taiwan and Japan would surely impact the Philippines, the AFP is monitoring developments now on a regional basis,” Trinidad explained.
“We have now shifted from ISO [internal security operations] monitoring. We are now expanding our monitoring to include the region,” he added.
Recently, Japan’s government under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi publicly suggested that a Chinese military move against Taiwan could be considered a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, opening the door for a potential Japanese military involvement.
Beijing viewed this as a direct challenge as China considers Taiwan as part of its core territory.
Tensions further escalated as Japan accused a Chinese military aircraft of locking its radar into Japanese fighter jets southeast of Okinawa over the weekend.
Chinese presence in WPS
Meanwhile, Trinidad reported that in the first week of December, the presence of Chinese vessels in several key features in the WPS remained.
In Bajo de Masinloc, there were five China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels and two People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) ships; Ayungin Shoal had six CCG vessels and one PLA Navy ship; Escoda Shoal had two CCG vessels and one PLA Navy ship; and Pag-asa Island had one CCG and two PLA Navy vessels.
He also clarified reports over the weekend that the presence of more than 100 Chinese ships in the WPS came from maritime militia vessels detected by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) during a maritime domain awareness flight.
“That number is normal,” Trinidad said. He noted that China deploys an estimated 300 to 350 maritime militia ships in the area. “These are not Coast Guard or PLA Navy assets,” he noted.
Asked whether the AFP is adjusting its posture with the sustained presence of Chinese vessels, Trinidad said operational changes fall under the Western Command (Wescom) and Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom), and no major shifts have been made so far.
He added that the AFP continues to coordinate with Japanese, Australian, and other regional defense partners for information-sharing.
Trinidad described Chinese coercive behavior in the WPS as “fairly constant,” with incidents fluctuating year to year but remaining persistent.
“As long as their illegal presence remains, the potential for escalation will always be there,” he said.

Related Tags

WPS China Philippines Luzon Japan Taiwan geopolitics regional security WPS Roy Vincent Trinidad
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