South China Sea gray-zone escalation continues

PLA holds joint naval/air drills near Scarborough Shoal, coast guard patrols expand east of Taiwan. YJ-20 hypersonic anti-ship missile deployed on Type 052D. 14 nations and EU reaffirm 2016 ruling. Wang Yi warns leverage shrinks as US-China stabilize. China quietly confirmed two sailors died in a 2025 collision—first official acknowledgment of casualties, a concrete escalation marker.