Analysts said the display is part of Beijing's efforts to project strength after an August 11 collision that damaged a coast guard vessel.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. says his country will inevitably be drawn “kicking and screaming” in any war over Taiwan due to its proximity and the presence of large numbers of Filipino workers on the self-ruled island,

Edison Palattao, a 52-year-old fisherman in Aparri, Cagayan, still can’t move on from how the extraction of river sand made their lives miserable. “It really made our lives worse,” he recalled as he blamed the extraction of sand from the Cagayan River as the reason behind the serious decline in fish and aramang catch.

Since 2023, Manila has stepped up its pushback against China's expanding presence within its maritime zone, at times leading to clashes and raising concerns an incident could trigger the U.S.–Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty. The tensions have driven the Philippines to pursue closer defense ties with the U.S. and several other countries.

Exercise Alon comes as Australia and the Philippines deepen their defence partnership in the face of repeated incidents involving China.

One of the Chinese research ships off Panatag Shoal has left the area while a PCG vessel continues to patrol outside the shoal’s “exclusion zone.”

U.S. Marines have launched amphibious training in the Philippines with Filipino and Australian troops, shortly after completing a disaster-response mission in the country’s north.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the Philippines is considering filing another diplomatic protest against China following the latest incident