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Philippines accuses Chinese vessel of spoofing location in northern waters

Asiaone • September 28, 2026

MANILA — The Philippine Coast Guard accused a Chinese research vessel on Monday (Sept 28) of spoofing its location while loitering off Batanes, the country's northernmost island group near Taiwan, saying its movements were consistent with unauthorised marine scientific research.

The coast guard said in a statement that a seabed survey vessel concealing its whereabouts while holding its position in waters between the Philippines and Taiwan raised "serious concerns the security of the country's undersea communications infrastructure and the potential military use of any data collected".

PCG said the Chinese-flagged research vessel JIA HAI KE 7 was detected 38 nautical miles northwest of Itbayat in Batanes. Itbayat lies 160 km from Taiwan.

The Coast Guard said the vessel ignored repeated radio challenges to identify its intentions and cease any unauthorised activity.

PCG said the vessel was loitering and holding its position rather than proceeding on a steady course that would have indicated innocent passage.

The PCG said the vessel appeared to be broadcasting false AIS positions, with tracking data showing it moving from the coast of Xiamen in southeast China to a location off Papua New Guinea on the same day. It later appeared northwest of Itbayat, a timeframe that would have been physically impossible, the agency said.

The vessel's behaviour was consistent with marine scientific research activity rather than transit, PCG added.

The vessel is a 2,000-ton, 70-metre survey ship designed to conduct marine geological surveys and capable of precise station-keeping, according to open-source information cited by the coast guard.

Waters off Batanes and the Luzon Strait host key submarine cable corridors linking the Philippines with Northeast Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific.

PCG said it would continue monitoring the vessel.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for .

Chinese scholars at Jinan University have previously argued that Batanes belonged to China.

The full story

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Philippine Coast Guard Challenges Chinese Vessel for AIS Spoofing The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has reported that the Chinese research vessel JIA HAI KE 7 was detected spoofing its Automatic Identification System (AIS) data while loitering off Itbayat, Batanes. The vessel was confirmed to be holding position 38 nautical miles northwest of Itbayat, within the Philippine exclusive economic zone. The PCG issued multiple radio challenges to the vessel, which went unanswered, raising concerns over unauthorized marine scientific research activities. The vessel's AIS data indicated impossible movements, suggesting deliberate concealment of its true location. The PCG highlighted the potential military implications of the data collected by the vessel, which operates in critical submarine cable corridors linking the Philippines to Northeast Asia. The PCG will continue monitoring the vessel and has stated it will take necessary measures to protect its maritime zone. The situation reflects ongoing tensions between the Philippines and China regarding territorial waters. 11 sources 60

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China Papua New Guinea Philippines Taiwan