The Philippine Navy (PN) has confirmed the presence of a Chinese carrier strike group — led by the aircraft carrier Shandong — operating near Northern Luzon, approximately 100 nautical miles northwest of Burgos, Ilocos Norte.
“This was one of the larger or more unusual formations we have monitored,” said Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, Navy Spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, in an ambush interview.
He added that the Navy tracked the vessels as they approached the western side of Cagayan, nearing the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) on Wednesday evening. At one point, the Chinese ships came as close as three nautical miles from a northern Philippine island.
Trinidad clarified that such proximity is permitted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which allows “innocent passage” provided the transit is “continuous and expeditious.”
The battle group included six destroyers and frigates, along with two support vessels. While the Philippine Navy deployed assets and issued radio challenges, the Chinese vessels reportedly did not respond.
According to the PN, the carrier group is believed to be part of China’s South Sea Fleet, although its specific mission remains unclear.
The Navy emphasized that it routinely monitors and challenges foreign vessels without making assumptions about their intent. Notably, this development coincides with the ongoing Balikatan joint military exercises but was not directly linked to the drills by the Navy.
On April 22, the Navy’s Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) assets also tracked two other People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships off the northern coast of Luzon. The aircraft carrier Shandong (CV-17) was detected at 9:36 a.m. just 2.23 nautical miles southwest of Babuyan Island — well within Philippine archipelagic waters.
Two hours later, a Type 815A electronic surveillance vessel (AGI-797) was monitored about 33 nautical miles northwest of Dalupiri Island.
In response to the Balikatan exercises, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun criticized the Philippines for holding joint military drills with the United States.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. dismissed the remarks as “propaganda.”
“So, should we listen to what they are saying? No. We should be vigilant about what they are doing in the West Philippine Sea and inside the Philippines,” Teodoro said in Filipino.
The Balikatan war games have also become a platform to train with newly acquired weapons systems. U.S. Marine Colonel Doug Krugman confirmed that the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) would be featured in this year’s exercise, citing its similarity to the Philippines’ newly acquired BrahMos missile system.
“The AFP has recently acquired BrahMos, a coastal defense cruise missile system, and NMESIS has a similar capability. So, it’s only natural we would train with parallel systems to ensure interoperability,” Krugman said in an interview on PTV-4’s Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.
Brig. Gen. Michael Logico, Balikatan spokesperson and assistant exercise director, emphasized the value of joint training and the strategic advantage of missile systems like BrahMos. The supersonic cruise missile, capable of speeds up to Mach 2.8 and ranges of 290–300 kilometers, is designed for deployment from land, sea, and air platforms.
Now in its 40th iteration, the Balikatan exercises — the largest annual military drills between the Philippines and the U.S. — began on April 21 and will run until May 9.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline: “Amid 2025 Balikatan, China ships patrol Philippine waters—AFP”