China Becomes More Aggressive In The South China Sea – OpEd
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October 5, 2026
By Veeramalla Anjaiah
Key Takeaways:
The piece says China is building and militarizing features and entering the EEZs of the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia under a nine- then ten-dash line the 2016 arbitral award rejected, which Beijing still calls null.
It reports a PLA drill at Scarborough Shoal and a China Coast Guard block of the Philippine resupply ship M/V Lapu-Lapu at Second Thomas Shoal, with no collision or injuries; the U.S. embassy condemned the maneuvers and China called the mission provocative.
India is said to have delivered about $330 million of BrahMos to the Philippines, with talks of further sales to Vietnam and Indonesia and interest from Malaysia; the author treats missiles as insufficient without pressure to honor UNCLOS.
In the South China Sea (SCS), China is expanding its presence in disputed waters and adopting increasingly dangerous tactics against neighboring Southeast Asian states.
China has been building artificial islands and converting some of them into military bases in the SCS. As part of its grey-zone tactics, China has intruded into the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia several times.
China claims more that 80 percent of the SCS based on the controversial and illegal Nine-Dash Line (now 10-Dash) map. It has overlapping claims with Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei Darussalam.
China also claims a part of Indonesia’s EEZ in the North Natuna Sea. Indonesia is not a claimant state in the SCS dispute. Chinese vessels several times intruded into Indonesia’s EEZ and its fishing boats stolen the fish from there.
An expansionist and aggressive China is challenging the centrality of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as the foundation of global order at sea, a decade after the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) rejected Beijing’s sweeping maritime claims and declared the Nine-Dash Line map and China’s claims were illegal.
Who will stop mighty China and its aggression in the SCS?
The U.S. offered to supply weapons to the Philippines but it is not enough. To stop China’s navy, India offered to sell its BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to Southeast Asian countries.
BrahMos missiles are long-ranged and ramjet powered and they can be launched from submarines, ships, fighter jets or transporter erector launchers.
BrahMos is a joint venture between India’s Defence Research and Development (DRDO) and the Russian NPO Mashinostroyeniya. The missile is based on P-800 Oniks.
BrahMos is a benchmark for India’s emerging export story with exports to cross US$600 million to the Philippines, Indonesia and the Philippines, the ANI news agency reported.
The missile also has an air-launched version and it is a great success on Sukhoi fighter jets. BrahMos missile system to the tune of about $330 million has been delivered to Philippines.
India said that exports should be about $100 million to start with for Vietnam, and for Indonesia, it should be around $200 million.
India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh had described that BrahMos is not just a missile, but a symbol of the growing indigenous capabilities of India.
The missile features a traditional warhead and an advanced guided system and possesses the capability to strike long distances at supersonic speeds. This combination of speed, accuracy, and power makes BrahMos one of the best systems in the world.
Malaysia is also currently considering to purchase BrahMos missiles from India. China claims a part of Malaysia’s Sabah and Sarawak areas and Chinese ships regularly intrudes into Malaysia’s EEZ.
Recently, China’s military conducted a joint naval and air training exercise around a disputed shoal and in the waters and airspace around the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the SCS, the Reuters news agency reported.
The Shoal is located in the Philippines, where it is known as Bajo de Masinloc. It is also claimed by China based on its controversial Nine-Dash line map and call it Huangyan Dao.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command, in a statement on WeChat social media app, described the operation as a necessary response to actions by “certain countries” it said had undermined regional peace and stability.
It that said that the training “aims to test and enhance combat capabilities in safeguarding China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests”.
The China Coast Guard (CCG) announced separately that the exercises focused on “maritime rights-protection, law enforcement, and management and control” in the waters around Scarborough Shoal.
The exercise came just after two days after the Philippines accused China of obstructing a resupply mission to its troops stationed at Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands, prompting a strong rebuke from the Chinese government.
The Philippines Coast Guard (PCG) said in a statement that “temporarily suspended after a CCG vessel carried out dangerous maneuvers” against the Philippine resupply vessel M/V Lapu-Lapu. The maneuvers “put Filipino personnel at risk” and prevented the mission from being completed.
According to The Diplomat magazine, the Shoal located around 200 kilometers to the west of the Philippines’ Luzon Island and 874 kilometers from China’s Hainan Island, Scarborough Shoal has been a persistent flashpoint in the maritime disputes between the Philippines and China.
The Shoal has been under Chinese control since 2012, when the two nations engaged in a tense 10-week stand-off that concluded with China occupying the feature, despite an agreement for mutual withdrawal from the Shoal.
Finally, the Philippines took China to the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) and won the case. But China boycotted the PCA’s proceedings and rejected the PCA’s ruling.
Since then, China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels have surrounded the Shoal and made repeated attempts to restrict Filipino fishermen from accessing the rich fishing grounds inside the atoll’s central lagoon.
There was no collision, and no one was injured, but the dangerous maneuvers of the China Coast Guard created a serious risk of collision.
For its own part, CCG spokesperson Jiang Lue accused the PCG of engaging in “provocative” acts at Second Thomas Shoal, restating its position that the BRP Sierra Madre was illegally grounded on the shoal in 1999.
“China Coast Guard, in accordance with the law, took measures including on-site monitoring and following, as well as issuing verbal warnings to the Philippine resupply vessel,” it stated.
In a statement, the U.S. embassy in Manila condemned the Chinese action and lauded its Philippine allies’ “professionalism and restraint.”
“The United States strongly condemns the use of dangerous blocking and other irresponsible maneuvers by the China Coast Guard and the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) that threatened a collision with a Philippine vessel and prevented a lawful and routine resupply mission to Second Thomas Shoal,” it said.
China criticized the U.S. for supporting the Philippines provocative actions.
“China urges the U.S. side to stop fanning the flames and refrain from actions that undermine regional peace and stability,” it said.
China and the Philippines clashed many times over the Shoal during the 2023 and 2026 period.
The two sides finally agreed to de-escalate the situation at Second Thomas Shoal, reaching a “provisional understanding” that allowed the Philippines to resupply the grounded warship.
China’s attempt to interrupt the Philippines resupply mission suggests that the “provisional understanding” between Manila and Beijing has broken down, potentially ushering in a new period of tension at Second Thomas Shoal.
This year, the Philippines is marking the 10th anniversary of the 2016 PCA’s Arbitral Award. The Award, which declared that China’s claims were illegal in the SCS, was final and legally binding but China remains adamant and tensions remain increasing. It continues to say that the Award is “illegal, null and void”.
China has been using its trade and investments as tools to influence countries like Indonesia and Malaysia to adopt a soft approach towards its aggressive policies in the SCS.
Indonesian Deputy Foreign Minister Arif Havas Oegroseno stressed the importance of maintaining a habit of cooperation to sustain communication and prevent tensions in the South China Sea.
He urged all the countries to abide by the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) as the primary framework for peaceful dispute resolution.
The international community must put pressure on China to stop its excessive and respect the international law. It is very strange China, which signed and ratified the UNCLOS, refuses to follow international maritime laws.
About Veeramalla Anjaiah
Veeramalla Anjaiah is a Jakarta-based senior journalist and the author of the book “Azerbaijan Seen from Indonesia
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