China Confirms Two Coast Guard Personnel Killed in 2025 South China Sea Incident, Posthumously Honored as 'Martyrs'

Chinese authorities have indirectly confirmed that two coast guard officers died while carrying out a 'frontline mission' in the South China Sea last August. This is the first time China has acknowledged fatalities from a collision between two Chinese vessels, one year after the incident involving a maritime dispute with the Philippines.

On August 11, 2025, the Chinese Navy's missile destroyer 'Guilin' ship collided with the Chinese coast guard vessel 'Nanyu' No. 3104 while pursuing a Philippine patrol boat near Scarborough Shoal (known as Huangyan Island in China). Footage released by the Philippines shows the incident. The Philippine side reported that two Chinese personnel died and one went missing. The collision severely damaged the bow of the Chinese coast guard vessel, rendering it inoperable.

At the time, a spokesperson for the China Coast Guard confirmed the standoff but did not mention the collision or casualties. Both sides accused each other of 'dangerous maneuvers'.

A year later, on August 5, the 'CNR Military' WeChat official account announced the results of the 25th 'China Armed Police Loyalty Guardian' selection, posthumously awarding the title to four martyrs: Yi Xinyu, Miao Jian, Cheng Long, and Qiao Helin.

According to public information, Yi Xinyu 'sacrificed his life on August 11, 2025, during a frontline rights-protection operation in the South China Sea' at the age of 21. Cheng Long 'bravely sacrificed his life during a maritime rights-protection operation on August 11, 2025' at the age of 25. Both coast guard officers were posthumously awarded 'First-Class Merit'.

China and the Philippines have repeatedly clashed in the South China Sea over territorial disputes. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea.

Scarborough Shoal is a large triangular atoll that China took de facto control of from the Philippines in 2012 and has since remained a flashpoint between the two nations.

In July 2026, crew members from Chinese and Philippine vessels clashed again in the disputed South China Sea waters. This was the first serious confrontation between the two countries in months, leading to mutual summoning of each other's ambassadors.

Chinese state media reported that China conducted joint sea and air exercises near Scarborough Shoal last Saturday. Beijing also released management regulations for a marine protected area established around Scarborough Shoal. Prior to these actions, the Philippines submitted an official maritime map of Scarborough Shoal to the United Nations to assert Manila's sovereignty claims.

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