China’s military and coast guard launched combat readiness and law enforcement patrols near the highly contested Scarborough Shoal on Sunday. The deployment follows sharp remarks from Manila warning that it remains under a "severe threat" from Beijing's territorial ambitions.
The Chinese maneuvers came just one day after the conclusion of a five-day joint maritime exercise between Philippine and U.S. forces in the same waters. The drill, which included visit-board-search-and-seizure training, was the third of its kind this year, aimed at strengthening defense ties and maritime security, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
In a statement published on WeChat, the People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theatre Command stated that its naval and air units patrolled the "territorial sea and airspace" around the atoll. The command described the operations as an "effective countermeasure to cope with all sorts of rights violations and provocative acts," though it did not name specific nations. China's coast guard added that it had actively intercepted vessels engaged in "illegal activities" throughout the month.
The timing of the patrols coincides with the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Asia's premier defense forum. Speaking on the sidelines of the summit, Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro emphasized that Manila faces ongoing political and territorial aggression from Beijing. Teodoro noted that the threat persists despite a recent easing of U.S.-China tensions following a high-profile summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping earlier this month.
"We have no choice but really to be resilient and to stand up against Chinese aggression," Teodoro said.
The Scarborough Shoal is a frequent flashpoint for sovereignty and fishing rights in the South China Sea. While China claims nearly the entire sea under its "nine-dash line," a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague declared that Beijing's expansive claims have no basis in international law—a decision China continues to reject.
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