The Philippine military monitored 82 Chinese navy and coast guard vessels operating in the disputed West Philippine Sea during May, a military spokesperson said Tuesday.

The Chinese ships were among more than 21,000 domestic and foreign vessels tracked entering or passing through Philippine waters last month, according to retired Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea.

Trinidad said the navy logged 21,751 vessels from 1 to 31 May. Of those, 4,054 were domestic and 17,697 were foreign. While 15,426 vessels responded to radio challenges from the Philippine Navy, 6,325 did not comply.

“These monitoring and challenge procedures form a vital component of the AFP’s maritime domain awareness efforts,” Trinidad said during a weekly press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo.

The 82 Chinese vessels — consisting of People’s Liberation Army Navy warships and China Coast Guard ships — were concentrated around four key maritime features.

Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal, saw the highest concentration with 39 vessels, including 16 navy warships and 23 coast guard ships. The military also monitored 17 vessels at Ayungin Shoal, 16 near the Pag-asa Islands and 10 at Escoda Shoal.

Trinidad said the presence of the Chinese ships undermines the rules-based international order and challenges Philippine sovereignty, contributing to regional tensions.

Addressing recent reports of a suspected new Chinese structure or equipment at Bajo de Masinloc, Trinidad urged caution, noting that the information is still unverified. The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea is currently validating the reports.

“All these reports are subjected to a stringent validation process,” Trinidad said, adding that the military does not comment on unverified social media posts. “The moment that it is validated or it is debunked, then the appropriate statement will be issued.”

Trinidad cited that the Chinese vessels monitored in May did not appear to be linked to the suspected structure. He added that between 26 May and 1 June, the military spotted 20 China Coast Guard and seven Chinese navy vessels.

The surge in Chinese presence coincided with recent joint Maritime Cooperative Activities between the United States and the Philippines. While Beijing claimed it conducted military exercises near Bajo de Masinloc during that time, Trinidad said Philippine intelligence detected no such maneuvers.

“The numbers are just the presence of the PLA Navy and the Chinese Coast Guard,” Trinidad said.