South China Sea

Beijing has announced that the United States and China will pursue a military crisis-communication pact, according to the South China Morning Post. The reported agreement would aim to keep open channels between the two militaries and reduce the risk of escalation during incidents at sea or in the air. The announcement comes amid continued tensions between Washington and Beijing over trade, Taiwan and regional security.

The Philippines has called for a ceasefire in Gaza and stressed that maritime disputes in the South China Sea should be resolved through international law rather than force. The statement ties Manila's position on the Middle East conflict to its own territorial disagreements with China, underscoring its advocacy for a rules-based international order.

China has carried out joint naval and air exercises around a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. The drills come amid ongoing territorial tensions in the waterway, where China's claims overlap with those of neighbouring countries including the Philippines and Vietnam. The show of military force is likely to draw criticism from claimant states and watchful attention from the United States.

China's Coast Guard has carried out multi-vessel exercises near Huangyan Dao, known internationally as Scarborough Shoal, in the South China Sea. The waterway is contested between China and the Philippines, and Chinese maritime drills there regularly draw scrutiny from Manila and regional observers. Announcement of the exercises circulated with the hashtag #CoolChina among pro-China accounts.