BEIJING — China’s armed forces and coast guard announced Tuesday that they had conducted separate patrols in the waters surrounding Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, citing the need to defend Beijing’s territorial claims over the area.
The Southern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army reported that its naval and air units carried out combat-readiness operations in the territorial waters and airspace around the shoal.
Scarborough Shoal, which China refers to as “Huangyan Dao,” is claimed by both China and the Philippines and stands as one of the most bitterly contested maritime locations in Asia.
In a separate announcement, the China Coast Guard said it also conducted law-enforcement patrols Tuesday in and around the shoal’s waters. The agency said it has stepped up patrols throughout the month and taken action against vessels engaged in what it described as “illegal rights-violation activities,” though it offered no further details.
The Philippine embassy in Beijing had not responded to requests for comment regarding the patrols by either the military or the coast guard.
The Tuesday patrols came on the heels of joint U.S.-Philippine military exercises conducted near Scarborough Shoal over the weekend. Washington stated those drills reflected a shared dedication to building regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
China’s military responded Monday, saying it had performed a routine patrol in the South China Sea during the weekend and criticizing the Philippines for bringing in countries from outside the region, claiming such actions threaten peace and stability in the area.
In recent years, Beijing has ramped up its sovereignty assertions over Scarborough Shoal, including establishing a national nature reserve at the site — a move the Philippines condemned as a “clear pretext for occupation.”
Earlier this month, the Philippines reported that China had placed a floating platform at the entrance to the shoal in late May, which was later removed. Beijing maintained that any activities it carries out there, including scientific research, fall within the legitimate rights of a sovereign nation.
