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PLA holds combat readiness patrols around hotly disputed South China Sea shoal
Chinese military stages exercises around Scarborough Shoal, which has been a source of persistent tensions with the Philippines
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The Chinese military carried out combat readiness patrols in waters and airspace surrounding a hotly disputed South China Sea shoal on Friday, the latest in a series of exercises to reinforce its control of the area.
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The People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theatre Command said on Saturday that it had been stepping up naval and air patrols around Scarborough Shoal – known as Huangyan Island in China – since January, strengthening its maritime and airspace control and management in the area.
“[These efforts are aimed at] resolutely safeguarding China’s national sovereignty and security, and maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea,” the command said.
Scarborough Shoal is a group of tiny, low-lying rocky islets in waters claimed and controlled by China.
But the shoal lies within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and is also claimed by the Southeast Asian country, where it is called Panatag Shoal.
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On Friday, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr said China should respect the Philippines’ sovereign rights and jurisdiction, and stop its “aggressive and coercive” behaviour in the West Philippine Sea – Manila’s name for South China Sea waters that lie within its EEZ.
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