Chinese ships deployed water cannons against Philippine vessels, including one carrying a CNN crew, near an area of high tension in the South China Sea on July 24, 2026. This was the third incident of conflict in contested waters this week.
Although the region may seem insignificant at first glance, with the exception of its rich fishing areas, it represents a flashpoint in global geopolitics due to its strategic importance.
Free movement in one of the planet’s most crucial shipping lanes, the mutual defense treaty between the Philippines and the United States, and China’s ongoing effort to consolidate its claims over disputed territories mean that any navigational error or miscalculated action could trigger a serious conflict in the area.
The CNN team obtained permission to accompany aboard a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel, which was on a mission to resupply local fishermen near Scarborough Shoal, a sandbar claimed by Beijing and Manila.
As the Philippine vessels approached the site on July 24, 2026, several larger Chinese Coast Guard ships approached, allowing the news team to clearly see the Chinese personnel on board.
Watershed in conflict
Chinese officials warned through a megaphone: “Leave immediately… Otherwise, we will take firm action in accordance with the law.” A Chinese ship continually circled the Philippine vessel while its water cannon struck the hull.
The dispute in the South China Sea, although overshadowed by conflicts elsewhere in the world in recent years, remains a global flashpoint of tension. Several governments dispute sovereignty over this waterway, a vital economic corridor through which a third of global maritime trade passes annually.
The Philippine vessels ultimately canceled their mission on July 24, 2026 and returned to port, citing the formation of a typhoon in the region.
As the ships moved away, the tension eased significantly, although hours later Chinese Coast Guard vessels could still be seen in the distance, monitoring the Philippine vessels.
In total, according to Philippine authorities, 15 Chinese ships were present, belonging to the Chinese Coast Guard and its so-called “maritime militia”.
The Philippines had 10 ships, three of which were its coast guard; a small Philippine government plane also flew over the vessels during the mission.
The Philippine Coast Guard reported that its vessels were “subjected to a series of water cannon attacks and dangerous maneuvers by the Chinese Coast Guard.”
A Chinese ship came within just seven meters of the Philippine vessel carrying the reporting team, creating a “serious risk of collision”, as stated by Philippine officials.
In contrast, China’s state broadcaster reported that its coast guard “took enforcement action on July 24, 2026, in accordance with the law, against several Philippine vessels involved in illegal activities in the waters under Chinese jurisdiction around Huangyan Island,” the Chinese name for Scarborough Shoal.
In response to an inquiry about the incident on July 24, 2026, Beijing Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said it was “legitimate and legal for China to take necessary measures to defend its rights and security, which are professional, standard and beyond reprehensible.”
Also known as Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines, the sandbar is an uninhabited rock formation with a central lagoon, located 220 kilometers west of the main Philippine island of Luzon.
China, the Philippines and Taiwan claim sovereignty over the site, but China has effectively controlled it since 2012, maintaining a near-constant coast guard presence in adjacent waters.
Clashes at sea
Friction in the region intensified throughout the week.
First, a confrontation occurred at the Second Thomas Shoal, a rock formation in the Spratly island chain, also disputed by Manila and Beijing.
The Philippines maintains a small contingent there on a Second World War ship, the BRP Sierra Madre.
On July 20, 2026, the Philippine Army reported that a Chinese Coast Guard vessel sent a smaller boat that approached the Sierra Madre. In response, the Philippines launched two small inflatable boats to escort the Chinese boat.
A video records a group of eight Chinese soldiers on a boat clashing with one of the smaller Philippine vessels.
Exchanges of blows with wooden sticks and oars were observed. According to the Philippine armed forces, two soldiers were injured and required medical treatment.
Chinese authorities in turn accused the Philippines of spreading disinformation, claiming that Philippine boats had run aground and “ferociously” attacked its personnel.
A second incident occurred a few days later: on July 23, 2026, the Chinese Coast Guard declared that it had expelled two Philippine vessels that it accused of “invading” the waters near Scarborough Shoal.
The Philippine military, in a later statement, said Chinese ships used water cannons and dangerous navigation tactics in an attempt to block a resupply effort for Filipino fishermen in the region. There were no reports of injuries, and the Philippine vessels were able to continue their mission.
The United States intervened at both times. Following the July 20, 2026, incident, the State Department condemned China’s “dangerous and aggressive” actions. On July 23, 2026, Secretary of State Marco Rubio struck a similar tone.
“We have a role and we will not abandon our allies. We have made that perfectly clear,” Rubio declared on the sidelines of an ASEAN meeting in Manila.
The Philippines is an ally of the US under a mutual defense treaty, which legally obliges Washington to assist Manila in the event of an attack on its territory or, possibly, on Philippine ships on the high seas.
The growing tension was evident even before the incident on July 24, 2026. As the Philippine ship with the reporting team sailed through the South China Sea at night, the vessel was watched by a Chinese Coast Guard ship, which was almost four times larger at 111 meters, highlighting China’s maritime power.
Disputed waters
The Philippines and China are not the only countries with territorial disputes in the South China Sea, a vast area of 1.4 million square miles. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also claim part of the 250 islands, reefs and atolls in the seaway.
An international court ruled in 2016 that China had no legal basis to claim historic rights over most of the South China Sea.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping rejected that decision at the time and continued construction in disputed waters, erecting military installations, airstrips and artificial islands, despite promising otherwise during a 2015 visit to the White House.
Control of these geographic formations and adjacent waters has acquired even more relevance this year in light of events in the Persian Gulf.
After being attacked by the US and Israel, Iran managed to block the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off up to 20% of global oil trade, as well as other vital supplies for sectors ranging from agriculture to electronic chip production.
Analysts express concern about the impact a similar conflict in the South China Sea could have on the global economy.
This type of confrontation has become more frequent in recent years, as Beijing adopts a more aggressive stance.
During a particularly violent incident in June 2024, Chinese Coast Guard personnel swung axes at Philippine troops and damaged their rubber boats.
China’s Coast Guard has stepped up its presence, with its vessels spending 993 ship days around Scarborough Shoal in June alone, a volume nearly equivalent to the total recorded in 2025, according to a study by the Center for Strategic Studies’ (CSIS) Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative.
The United States has also increased its fleet in the region, moving U.S. Coast Guard vessels that were in Bahrain before the start of the war with Iran to the eastern Pacific.
