China Confirms Two Coast Guard Deaths in 2025 Scarborough Shoal Crash

China has confirmed that two of its coast guard officers died during a confrontation near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea in August 2025, acknowledging the deaths for the first time nearly a year after the incident.

The People's Armed Police announced on August 8, 2026 that officers Yi Xinyu, aged 21, and Cheng Long, aged 25, were posthumously honoured as Loyal Guards of the Chinese People's Armed Police. The ceremony was the first official acknowledgment that the August 11, 2025 confrontation had resulted in fatalities.

The two men died when the China Coast Guard cutter Nanyu collided with a Chinese Navy Type 052D destroyer, the Guilin, during a chase of the Philippine Coast Guard vessel BRP Suluan near the disputed shoal. At the time, Beijing accused the Philippines of dangerous manoeuvres but said nothing publicly about casualties.

Scarborough Shoal has been a persistent flashpoint between the two countries. China has controlled the shoal since 2012, but the Philippines claims it under international law. Philippine coast guard vessels have continued to operate in the area, regularly drawing confrontations with Chinese forces.

The confirmation came through an awards ceremony rather than a direct statement on the 2025 incident. The delay of nearly a year before acknowledging the deaths reflects how sensitive the episode has remained for Beijing.