Chinese warships and aircraft have been frequenting Philippine territory in the Spratly archipelago since 2017, indicating a steady pace of development toward “operational status” of Beijing’s military bases in the hotly contested South China Sea. Missile-equipped vessels were seen last year near Philippine reefs in the Spratlys, which China had turned into artificial islands. Surveillance images obtained by Inquirer.net showed a Luoyang Jiangwei II-class frigate (Hull No. 527) at Zamora Reef, known internationally as Subi Reef, last Nov. 15. This vessel is said to be armed with short-range surface-to-air missiles and antiship cruise missiles.

Mangosing, F. G., & Andrade, J. I. (2018, May 15). China warships, planes sighted at PH-claimed reefs since 2017. Philippine Daily Inquirer, pp. A1, A6.