BEIJING, June 30 (Reuters) – China’s military and coast guard said on Tuesday they had carried out patrols in the waters around Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, as part of safeguarding Beijing’s territorial claims to the area.
The Southern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army said its naval and air forces conducted combat-readiness patrols in the territorial waters and airspace around the shoal.
Scarborough Shoal, which Beijing calls “Huangyan Dao”, is claimed by both China and the Philippines and is one of Asia’s most disputed maritime sites.
In a separate statement, the China Coast Guard (CCG) later said it conducted law-enforcement patrols on Tuesday in the waters and surrounding areas of the shoal too, saying it has enhanced patrols this month and regulated ships engaged in “illegal rights-violation activities”, without elaborating.
The Philippine embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the PLA and CCG patrols.
Tuesday’s patrols came after joint U.S.-Philippine drills in waters near Scarborough Shoal over the weekend that Washington said underscored a shared commitment to strengthening regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
In response, China’s military on Monday said it had carried out a routine patrol in the South China Sea over the weekend and accused the Philippines of bringing in countries outside the region for patrols, which it said undermine regional peace and stability.
Beijing has intensified its sovereignty claims at Scarborough in recent years, including through the creation of a national nature reserve at the shoal, a move the Philippines denounced as a “clear pretext for occupation.”
Earlier this month, the Philippines said China had installed a floating platform at the entrance to Scarborough Shoal in late May before later removing it. Beijing said any activities it conducts there, including scientific research, are within the legitimate rights of a sovereign state.
(Reporting by Liz Lee and Beijing newsroom; Editing by Tom Hogue and Lincoln Feast.)
