A PROPOSED bipartisan United States Senate measure that aims to counter China's maritime gray-zone activities and could bolster international efforts to address the coercive tactics that the Philippines says it routinely encounters in the West Philippine Sea gained the support of an independent maritime transparency organization.
The proposed legislation seeks to establish a coordinated US strategy to monitor and respond to China's gray-zone operations, which have become an increasing source of tension in disputed waters, including the South China Sea.
Gray-zone activities refer to coercive actions that fall below the threshold of armed conflict and are intended to advance strategic objectives. In the maritime domain, these include the use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels to assert territorial claims, obstruct or harass foreign ships, maintain a sustained presence in disputed waters, and pressure rival claimants without provoking a conventional military response.
According to the bill's sponsors, the measure would require the US Department of State to develop a government-wide monitoring and responding strategy to China's gray-zone operations in the Indo-Pacific. It would also designate the State Department offices responsible for leading the effort, establish an interagency task force to coordinate the US response, strengthen cooperation with allies, partners, and nongovernment organizations engaged in maritime transparency initiatives, and require regular reports to Congress on the strategy's implementation and effectiveness.
SeaLight said it stands ready to contribute practical, real-world data and analysis to support the implementation of the measure, particularly through its documentation of China's maritime activities throughout the region.
The organization added that the proposed legislation reflects recommendations it has long advocated, including stronger monitoring of gray-zone activities, improved interagency coordination, and closer cooperation with partner countries to enhance transparency and accountability.
SeaLight also noted that its executive director, Ray Powell, testified before the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations' Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific in October 2025, urging Washington to adopt a comprehensive national strategy to counter China's gray-zone aggression.
For the Philippines, the issue has taken on a growing significance as tensions continue in the West Philippine Sea. Manila has repeatedly accused Beijing of employing gray-zone tactics through the deployment of China Coast Guard and suspected maritime militia vessels to block, shadow, ram and use water cannons against Philippine government and civilian vessels operating within the country's exclusive economic zone.
Philippine officials have said such actions are intended to reinforce Beijing's expansive claims in the South China Sea while avoiding escalation into open military conflict.
China has rejected those accusations, insisting that its activities in the disputed waters are lawful and are aimed at safeguarding what it considers its sovereignty and maritime rights.
