Maritime close calls escalate
Over the past 48 hours Chinese and Philippine warships had a dangerous near‑miss in the South China Sea, with both sides accusing the other of risky maneuvers. Japan also formally protested a Chinese research/survey vessel operating near the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu islands and ordered it to stop. The Philippines has meanwhile codified Filipino names for 131 features in the West Philippine Sea — a symbolic sovereignty move that risks further friction. (stripes.com (channelnewsasia.com) (rappler.com)
The incident occurred on March 25 near Thitu/Pag‑asa Island when the Philippine landing ship BRP Benguet (LS‑507) encountered a People’s Liberation Army Navy Type 054A frigate with hull number 532. (usni.org, inquirer.net) (news.usni.org) Armed Forces Western Command video released by Manila shows the two vessels closing to within roughly 5–8 meters before the Philippine ship altered course, and WESCOM labelled the Chinese move “unsafe and unprofessional.” (inquirer.net, usni.org) (inquirer.net) Philippine officials said there were no injuries or damage after the near‑collision and characterised the maneuver as “intentional,” noting Manila relies on older World War II‑era resupply vessels such as the roughly 82‑year‑old BRP Benguet for rotations to outposts. (inquirer.net, usni.org) (inquirer.net) Japan’s coast guard on March 31 ordered the Chinese research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 22 to cease operations after spotting it about 37–40 nautical miles west‑northwest of Uotsuri Island in waters Tokyo treats as inside its EEZ. (straitstimes.com, channelnewsasia.com) (stripes.com) President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Executive Order No. 111 on March 26 (made public March 31), directing national agencies to adopt Filipino names for 131 Kalayaan Island Group features — a list that explicitly includes Pag‑asa/Thitu and some features not under Philippine control. (rappler.com) (rappler.com) Manila and Beijing held the 11th round of their Bilateral Consultation Mechanism in Quanzhou days after the encounter, co‑chaired by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong and Philippine Undersecretary Leo Herrera‑Lim, and the talks included initial exchanges on potential oil and gas cooperation. (cgtn.com, reuters) (news.cgtn.com)
