PLA ‘on high alert’ in South China Sea, warns Manila over naval drills with US, Japan

PLA’s Southern Theatre Command conducted ‘routine patrol’, spokesman says, as Philippines and Japan hold naval drills with treaty ally US

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US, Philippine and Japanese navy vessels take part in a multilateral exercise “in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific” on March 28. Photo: X/ US7thFleet

Published: 4:47pm, 29 Mar 2025Updated: 8:42pm, 29 Mar 2025

Troops overseeing the South China Sea will remain on high alert and defend national sovereignty, China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has said, while condemning joint drills by the Philippines, US and Japan in the contested waters.

The PLA’s Southern Theatre Command carried out a routine patrol in the South China Sea on Friday, spokesman Senior Colonel Tian Junli was quoted as saying by state news agency Xinhua.

The patrol took place amid efforts by “the Philippines to enlist countries outside the region for so-called joint patrols” as well as “hype and spread its unlawful claims in the South China Sea, [thereby] destabilising the region”, Tian said, according to the Xinhua report on Saturday.

“We warn the Philippine side against provoking incidents and engaging in actions that heighten tensions in the South China Sea and seeking external support would prove futile,” he added.

Tensions in the region are at a new high after the naval drills by the US and its two treaty allies on Friday, carried out under a trilateral security bloc set up under the previous Biden administration.

The PLA remarks came as US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth wrapped up a visit to the Philippines, where he reaffirmed Washington’s commitment towards “upholding a free and open Indo-Pacific region”.