Inquirer.net links China’s presence in Malaysian shoals to Philippine experience

CHEERS TO Inquirer.net for diving deep into the background and reporting on the emerging situation in Malaysia’s Luconia Shoals, drawing its parallels to the conflicts in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). 

Kurt Dela Peña of Inquirer.net, highlighted the alarm that China’s growing maritime presence has raised in Southeast Asia. The similarity to the Philippine experience is only one of several regional aspects discussed in the article. Published on May 29, 2025, the article offers Filipinos a view of Beijing’s tactics applied to another country. 

Tracing a large pattern 

While mainstream outlets highlighted China’s naval presence near the Luconia Shoals, the reports treated the development independently, focusing mainly on Malaysia’s issuance of protest statements. Dela Peña’s report went further, tracing the situation as part of a larger pattern of China’s expansive maritime reach and drawing direct parallels to the problems in the Philippines. 

Dela Peña’s report provided context, history, and detailed information, reviewing the chronology of China’s intrusion into Malaysian territory and framing China’s activities, not as an isolated case, but as part of what is now a familiar plan, calculated to attain permanent presence that effectively establishes control, without provoking direct conflict. All these by using visuals gained by satellite monitoring and citing data from the Asan Institute for Policy Studies and the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative.

The report tracked the presence of the China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels at Luconia Shoals for 279 days in 2020, 316 days in 2022, 338 days in 2023, and almost all of 2024 or 359 days. These figures support the claim of near-permanent occupation, despite the distance of 1200 miles between Luconia Shoals and China’s Hainan Island. 

Inquirer.net also acquired satellite images from the US-based provider Apollo Mapping, revealing how China’s presence in the area coincided with visible changes in the Luconia Breakers, the only landform in the shoals that is not submerged by high tide. Chester Cabalza, president of the think tank International Development and Security Cooperation, said the images indicate signs of man-made transformation between 2011 and 2024, possibly due to dredging and underwater mapping activities.

The report further details how China ignored diplomatic protests, such as the Philippines’ over 500 diplomatic protests, appearing unfazed by other forms of action to check its illegal activities. 

Why regional awareness matters

Inquirer.net’s piece reaches out to the regional audience with a reality check. China’s intrusion into Philippine waters is no longer a singular challenge to the sovereignty of one country. China’s actions toward Malaysia today recall China’s takeover of Philippine shoals a decade ago. Its presence on a Malaysian shoal should be recognized for what it is, an expansionist exercise in empire building, a long-term endeavor that threatens the countries touched by China’s imperial but imaginary “nine,” now “ten-dash line.” 

Dela Peña draws from studies that reveal China’s systemic and long-running maritime strategy at work. Engaging readers in a long-term process, he moved away from news conventions to use larger frameworks for reporting. The growing complexity of the world requires the use of this approach, using wider and sharper lens with which to report on developments so stakeholders can act, before it is too late.