China patrols Scarborough Shoal after Philippines warns of threat

China claims “rights violations, provocative acts”

The People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theatre Command said in a statement on social media that its naval and air units carried out combat readiness patrols in the “territorial sea and airspace” of the atoll and its surrounding areas.

“Such patrols serve as an effective countermeasure to cope with all sorts of rights violations and provocative acts”, the command said. It did not mention specific countries.

China’s coast guard said in a separate statement it conducted law enforcement patrols near the Scarborough Shoal, adding that since this month it had dealt with ships engaged in, “illegal rights-violation activities in accordance with laws and regulations,” without elaborating.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said the exercise with the US from Tuesday to Saturday, including visit-board-search-and-seizure drills, underscored both countries’ commitment to stronger defence ties, improved maritime domain awareness and support for a rules-based order at sea.

The Philippine embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.