Fishermen caught a Chinese spy drone just off the Philippines coast: officials

• Fisherman found a Chinese spy drone near the Philippines, officials said.
• The drone is yellow, torpedo-shaped, and labeled HY-119.
• China is clashing with the Philippines as it seeks to expand its influence in the South China Sea.

Fishermen found a Chinese underwater spy drone off the coast of the Philippines, police said.

The drone was discovered Thursday around six miles off the coast of a small island in the Masbate province, per a news release from the Philippines National Police.

Officers published photos of a yellow, torpedo-shaped device with fins.

The machine, they said, was marked "HY-119." They said they used that label to establish it was used for communication and navigation.

The site of the pickup was in the internal waters of the Philippines, relatively far from the open sea.

The device was handed over to the Philippines Navy for inspection, the news release said.

Philippine Navy sources told local media that the device appears to be a device for transmitting, recording, and monitoring data.

"The recovery of the HY-119 system has significant implications, as it provides insights into advanced underwater technology and naval capabilities," the police said in the statement.

Regional police director Andre Dizon told the AFP news agency that the drone has an "antenna and an eye that can be used for viewing."

"Based on our research, this can be used for monitoring and reconnaissance."

China has developed a sophisticated underwater drone program, which it uses to map underseas territory, and which can be used to surveil vessels and potentially attack them, according to an article by Lt. General P.C. Katoch, a former Indian naval officer, in 2021.

The discovery comes as China seeks to expand its influence in the South China Sea, to the west of the Philippines.

It has clashed with other countries near the sea, including the Philippines, over Beijing's disputed claims that it has the sole right to thousands of square miles of the sea.

China's intensified its naval presence in the region, and its vessels have been accused of harassing Philippines vessels. A recent clash, on December 4, saw a China Coast Guard vessel fired a water cannon at and "sideswipe" a Philippines government boat, reports said.

The South China Sea is the site of important shipping routes, and is believed to contain reserves of natural gas and oil as well as minerals.

In response, the US and its regional allies have increased their patrols in the South China Sea and warned China against escalating its aggression, saying it would help defend the Philippines if it were attacked.