Drone image shows Philippine public vessels in waters near China's Huangyan Dao on July 23, 2026, for a supply mission for 12 Philippine “octopus boats” in the area. During the cargo transfer operation, a large amount of fuel supplied by the Philippine vessels leaked. Photo: Courtesy of China Coast Guard

Marking another attempt to smear China’s legitimate actions over Huangyan Dao, a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson claimed that China’s possible “militarization” of the island could allow it to dominate much of the South China Sea and threaten freedom of navigation. Chinese experts said the claim deliberately hypes the so-called “China threat” rhetoric and turns the facts on their head, arguing that while Manila itself has been strengthening its military presence and fueling regional tensions, it appears to be demanding unrestricted access for its own vessels to waters around China’s Huangyan Dao under the guise of “freedom of navigation.”

PCG spokesperson Jay Tarriela claimed on Monday that Huangyan Dao is the last remaining point needed to complete China’s “iron triangle” in the disputed waters, according to Manila Bulletin. 

Tarriela claimed during the National Maritime Council’s (NMC) first semester press briefing in Manila that if connecting the Xisha Islands with Huangyan Dao, and Huangyan Dao with the Nansha Qundao, “it will allow China to dominate the entire maritime space of the South China Sea.” He claimed that such pattern threatens freedom of navigation in a route carrying a large share of global trade.

In a social media post, Tarriela went further, alleging that if China “militarizes it (Huangyan Dao), the triangle closes and the danger stops being a Philippine problem.” 

China has never carried out any so-called "militarization" of Huangyan Dao. The latest claim is another victimhood narrative fabricated by certain people in the Philippines to portray the country as being threatened and rally other countries behind its position as freedom of navigation has been a closely watched topic internationally, Chen Xiangmiao, director of the World Navy Research Center at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times, noting that China’s activities around Huangyan Dao mainly involve routine patrols and law enforcement actions by the China Coast Guard to safeguard national sovereignty, security and maritime rights and interests.

China exercises sovereignty and jurisdiction over relevant waters in accordance with law. Even the deployment of law-enforcement forces or necessary defensive capabilities in relevant areas by no means freedom of navigation in the South China Sea would be affected, said Chen.

He argued that the South China Sea remains one of the world's busiest international shipping routes, and normal commercial navigation has never been obstructed by China. What the Philippines calls "freedom of navigation" appears to conflate commercial navigation with its demand that Philippine fishing vessels, coast guard ships, government vessels and even warships be allowed unrestricted access to waters around China’s Huangyan Dao.

Last month, the Philippine side organized seven public vessels, three coast guard ships and one fish transport ship, and egged on a large number of fishing boats to illegally assemble in the waters under China's jurisdiction at Huangyan Dao, Jiang Lue, spokesperson for the China Coast Guard (CCG) said.

During this period, three Philippine public vessels - MMOV 3001, MMOV 3005 and MMOV 3017 - ignored repeated dissuasion and warnings from the CCG and obstinately intruded into the territorial waters of China's Huangyan Dao, Jiang added.

The CCG took necessary countermeasures in accordance with the law against the Philippine rights-violation vessels, including verbal warnings, blocking, and shooting water cannons, to resolutely expel them.

The Global Times learned that the Philippines harbored clear provocative intentions in this aggressive intrusion. Its vessel MMOV 3001 repeatedly charged at high speed into the 12-nautical-mile territorial waters surrounding China's Huangyan Dao. On-site footage obtained by the Global Times also shows this Philippine vessel was fitted with anti-collision padding, prepped for anticipated vessel collisions.

Also last month, Chinese foreign ministry firmly rejected and said it will never accept the delimitation of the so-called "baselines of the territorial sea" of China's territory of Huangyan Dao by the Philippines, stressing it is illegal, null and void. 

The statement came after the Philippines claimed it has deposited its official nautical chart of Huangyan Dao and its surrounding maritime zones with the United Nations Secretariat. 

With regard to the Philippines' illegal and false claims, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in the Friday's statement that Huangyan Dao is China's inherent territory. China has indisputable sovereignty over it and its adjacent waters, and has sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the relevant waters. China has continuously, peacefully and effectively exercised sovereignty and jurisdiction over Huangyan Dao. The territory of the Philippines has been defined by a series of international treaties, and Huangyan Dao has never been a part of it. The Philippines' illegal territorial claim over China's Huangyan Dao is completely baseless under international law, according to the ministry.

Chen said that in fact, it is increasingly clear who is fueling militarization in the South China Sea. The Philippines has continued to strengthen their military presence and activities in the region in recent years. Manila's attempt to smear China's legitimate actions around Huangyan Dao as a threat to freedom of navigation is essentially a political narrative rather than a reflection of the actual state of navigation in the South China Sea.