AFP denies reports of Chinese military base in Scarborough Shoal

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday denied reports that China has built a military base in Scarborough Shoal, saying there is no construction activity in the area.

At a press briefing, Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, said only Chinese vessels, including warships, have been monitored in the shoal.

“Our monitoring shows the presence of the [People's Liberation Army Navy], the Chinese Coast Guard, and the maritime militia in Scarborough,” Trinidad said.

“We have not monitored any construction on Scarborough Shoal” he added.

Earlier, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez claimed that China had deployed missiles in Scarborough Shoal and presented intelligence photos showing a military base.

Trinidad clarified: “It is safe to assume that warships would be armed with different missiles. So the missiles aboard the ships could be what the ambassador was referring to—not inside the shoal, but on board the vessels.”

In September 2025, China announced the creation of a national nature reserve in Scarborough Shoal, a move opposed by the Philippines and several other countries.

Scarborough Shoal—also called Bajo de Masiloc or Panatag Shoal—is located 124 nautical miles off Masinloc, Zambales, within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Tensions persist as Beijing claims nearly all of the South China Sea, a major maritime corridor for over $3 trillion in annual shipborne trade, including waters claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

To reinforce its territorial claim, the Philippines refers to waters within its jurisdiction as the West Philippine Sea, encompassing areas west of the archipelago, including the Luzon Sea, the Kalayaan Island Group, and Bajo de Masinloc.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines, stating that China’s extensive claims in the South China Sea have “no legal basis.”

China has refused to recognize the ruling.—MCG, GMA Integrated News