The Armed Forces of the Philippines expects China's conduct to keep getting worse for years, not months, based on a warning issued in Manila on Tuesday. The military said Chinese malign activities inside and outside the country, together with aggressive actions in Philippine waters, could escalate through 2028. Reporters pressed officials on whether recent Chinese moves in the West Philippine Sea amount to a new phase in that escalation. The timeline matters because it stretches past the end of the current presidential term, which runs to mid-2028. Manila and Beijing have tested each other repeatedly over resupply missions and disputed shoals in the waterway. The largely outgunned Philippine military has countered by leaning on transparency and allied patrols.