By Staff, WPS News
November 10, 2025

MANILA – In the contested expanse of the West Philippine Sea, where azure waters mask a simmering cauldron of territorial ambition, China’s relentless gray zone tactics—marked by vessel swarms, rammings, and blockades—continued unabated from October 31 to November 9, 2025. These insidious maneuvers, emblematic of Beijing’s bid to unlawfully occupy swaths of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), drew a fortified international riposte, underscoring Manila’s unyielding defense of sovereign rights under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). As Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) and militia vessels prowled perilously close to Philippine outposts, the United States and allies amplified their presence, transforming diplomatic whispers into a chorus of deterrence.

The period opened with heightened vigilance following a multinational naval exercise on October 30-31, where Philippine, American, Australian, and New Zealand forces conducted patrols in Manila’s western EEZ. Beijing’s Southern Theater Command swiftly condemned the drill as a “destabilizing provocation,” vowing to track the allied flotilla while reaffirming its expansive, UNCLOS-rejected “nine-dash line” claims (Mohajerani, 2025). Reports indicate Chinese warships outnumbered the joint patrol four-to-one, a stark illustration of Beijing’s strategy to overwhelm through sheer numbers rather than open conflict—a hallmark of gray zone warfare that erodes Manila’s access without triggering mutual defense pacts (Lariosa, 2025). Such tactics, decried by Philippine officials as “illegal harassment,” risk escalating into unintended catastrophe, as evidenced by prior collisions that damaged Chinese vessels in clumsy self-inflicted blows (Smith, 2025).

On November 1, the U.S. and Philippines unveiled Task Force Philippines, a bilateral initiative to bolster interoperability and counter Chinese coercion. U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro reaffirmed the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, announcing an Alliance Readiness Action Plan amid Scarborough Shoal flashpoints (NewsWatch Plus PH, 2025). Hegseth’s visit highlighted Washington’s unease with Beijing’s “militarization disguised as conservation,” referencing China’s erection of floating barriers and signage rebranding disputed reefs as “nature reserves”—a cynical ploy to legitimize illegal occupation (Nawfal, 2025). These actions flout the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling, which invalidated China’s EEZ encroachments, yet Beijing persists, deploying seismic survey ships like the Jia Geng to map and claim Philippine seabeds (Sykala, 2025a).

Tensions peaked mid-week as the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (CSG-11) surged into the West Philippine Sea on November 2, positioning approximately 100 miles southeast of Scarborough Shoal. Comprising the nuclear-powered carrier, guided-missile cruisers, and destroyers like USS Gridley and USS Princeton, the deployment—bolstered by B-1 bomber sorties from Japan—signaled a “show of force” ordered by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) in response to CCG rammings (OSINTdefender, 2025; Anderson, 2025). Satellite imagery captured CCG vessel 3106 shadowing the group, a provocative tail that Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commodore Jay Tarriela later branded “restraint in name only,” citing acoustic devices and water cannons as tools of intimidation (The GUIDON, 2025; Sykala, 2025b). This cat-and-mouse dance exemplifies China’s hybrid aggression: non-lethal on paper, but hazardous in practice, aimed at fatiguing Manila’s patrols and asserting de facto control over resource-rich fisheries and hydrocarbon reserves.

November 4 brought multilateral momentum with the 17th South China Sea International Conference in Hanoi, where delegates demanded “law over force” to curb Beijing’s violations (Asia Media Centre, 2025). Concurrently, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) tripled patrols around Pag-asa Island, detecting five Chinese vessels—two CCG and three militia—lurking 90 nautical miles off Palawan on November 5 (Maritime Awareness Daily, 2025a). Echoing this, another cluster hovered near the outpost on November 4, their “subtle assertion” a veiled thrust into Manila’s EEZ (Maritime Awareness Daily, 2025b). Defense Secretary Teodoro, rebuffing Beijing’s summit overtures, labeled such incursions a “slap in the face,” citing absent communication channels and inflammatory rhetoric from China’s Ministry of Defense (Philippine Star, 2025).

The week’s close saw Canada ink a defense pact with the Philippines on November 2, expanding joint drills to deter “Beijing’s troublemaking” in the South China Sea—a pact Al Jazeera framed as a bulwark against unlawful claims (Al Jazeera, 2025). Meanwhile, ACLED reported vessel face-offs amid broader Asia-Pacific volatility, with the Philippines gearing for anti-invasion drills across Northern Luzon (ACLED, 2025; USNI News, 2025). These developments, from carrier transits to treaty signings, weave a tapestry of resolve against China’s predatory playbook.

Beijing’s gray zone onslaught—ramming PCG boats, deploying dazzlers, and shadowing allies—constitutes not mere posturing but a calculated assault on international norms, imperiling lives and livelihoods. As the Nimitz’s silhouette fades into the horizon, it leaves a clarion: the Philippines, backed by a concert of democracies, will not cede an inch of its EEZ to unlawful avarice. Manila’s diplomacy, fortified by drills and pacts, signals that gray zones yield to global sunlight.

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References

ACLED. (2025, November 6). Asia-Pacific overview: November 2025. https://acleddata.com/update/asia-pacific-overview-november-2025

Al Jazeera. (2025, November 2). Canada, Philippines sign defence pact to deter Beijing in South China Sea. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/11/2/canada-philippines-sign-defence-pact-to-deter-beijing-in-south-china-sea

Anderson, M. [@MT_Anderson]. (2025, November 2). Was this the ‘show of force’? [Post]. X. https://x.com/MT_Anderson/status/1985086197002068131

Asia Media Centre. (2025, November 4). Law must replace force in South China Sea, demands international forum. https://www.asiamediacentre.org.nz/law-must-replace-force-in-south-china-sea-demands-international-forum

Lariosa, A. [@AaronMatthew_L]. (2025, November 1). Philippine, American… [Post]. X. https://x.com/AaronMatthew_L/status/1984445718266835404

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Maritime Awareness Daily. [@daily_maritime]. (2025b, November 5). Pag-asa Island—Nov 4… [Post]. X. https://x.com/daily_maritime/status/1985869090452607234

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NewsWatch Plus PH. [@newswatchplusph]. (2025, October 31). ‘TASK FORCE PHILIPPINES’ [Post]. X. https://x.com/newswatchplusph/status/1984186675447169095

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Philippine Star. [@PhilippineStar]. (2025, November 2). ‘SAMPAL SA MUKHA ‘YUN’ [Post]. X. https://x.com/PhilippineStar/status/1984911040136794125

Sykala, C. [@CeciliaSykala]. (2025a, October 31). Chinese research/Survey ship… [Post]. X. https://x.com/CeciliaSykala/status/1984230172632273011

Sykala, C. [@CeciliaSykala]. (2025b, November 4). China Coastguard Ship 3106… [Post]. X. https://x.com/CeciliaSykala/status/1985599825866604910

Smith, C. [@softwarnet]. (2025, November 7). Easy enough… [Post]. X. https://x.com/softwarnet/status/1986793525799694425

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USNI News. (2025, November 5). Philippine military to hold anti-invasion drills… https://news.usni.org/2025/11/05/philippine-military-to-hold-anti-invasion-drills-in-northern-luzon-south-china-sea

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