Chinese Aircraft Carrier Shandong, Escort Fleet Operating in Philippine Sea.

The Chinese aircraft carrier CNS Shandong (17) has been spotted operating in the Philippine Sea alongside a fleet of six escort vessels and two support ships, the Philippine Navy confirmed.

According to military sources, among the support ships is the Dongdiao-class surveillance vessel Tianquanxing (797),which is part of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) South Sea Fleet under the PLA Southern Theater Command. The group is said to be undertaking routine operations in waters east of the Philippines, a region that continues to draw regional and international attention due to increasing naval activity.

The Philippine Navy began tracking the carrier strike group on Tuesday, noting its movement near Philippine maritime zones. “The Shandong CSG is being closely monitored to ensure maritime awareness and protect our national interest,” a Navy spokesperson told local media. However, as of Friday, no further updates have been released by the Philippine military on the exact location or course of the Chinese vessels.

The presence of Shandong—China’s first domestically built aircraft carrier—in these contested waters underscores Beijing’s growing maritime ambitions and its continuing projection of power in the Indo-Pacific region.

The movement also coincides with heightened naval activity in nearby waters, including the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz Carrier Strike Group in the Philippine Sea, a U.S. Navy destroyer transit in the Taiwan Strait, and joint U.S.-Australian drills in the South China Sea.

The situation is being watched closely by regional observers as the Philippines, along with its allies, continues to call for the maintenance of peace, stability, and adherence to international maritime law in the Indo-Pacific.