April 16, 2025

The Philippines has recently been resorting to petty maneuvers to hype up South China Sea issues with the latest move of the Philippine Navy, which claimed on Tuesday that some underwater drones that Filipino fishermen discovered last year were likely deployed by China for military purposes, according to Philippine media. 

This is a new provocation from the Philippines to sustain media buzz on the South China Sea issue, attempting to draw more attention and seek external support, analysts said, adding that the Philippines will not be able to overturn the overall stable situation in the South China Sea.

AFP, citing the country's military, reported on Tuesday that five underwater drones found by Philippine fishermen were "capable of gathering information" that could aid in "underwater warfare," noting that at least one had relayed a signal to China.

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