The Philippines dispatched a coast guard plane over the weekend to intercept a Chinese research vessel as it reentered the country's maritime zone following an extended mission east of Guam.
Ship tracking data released by the Philippine coast guard and confirmed by Newsweek showed the vessel, Xiang Yang Hong 05, spent more than five weeks operating near the U.S. territory before heading back toward the Philippines.
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the U.S. Seventh Fleet via email for comment outside of office hours.
Why It Matters
China claims nearly all of the South China Sea as its territory, a conduit for an estimated one-third of global maritime shipping. This puts the country at odds with several neighbors, including the Philippines, which since 2023 has stepped up its challenge to China's expanding presence within the U.S. treaty ally's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
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