China launches air, sea patrols near Scarborough Shoal

China on Wednesday carried out a combat patrol to test "strike capabilities" near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, a flashpoint area which is within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.

Beijing has continued to press its claims to almost the entire South China Sea despite an international tribunal ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

Scarborough Shoal is 240 kilometers (150 miles) west of the Philippines' main island of Luzon and nearly 900 kilometers from the nearest major Chinese land mass of Hainan. The Philippines also refers to Scarborough Shoal as Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc.

China in 2012 used coastguard vessels to take control of the shoal, a triangular chain of reefs and rocks that are part of a rich fishing ground and had long been used by Filipino fishermen as a safe harbor.

READ: EXPLAINER: What is Scarborough Shoal and why is it important?

On Wednesday, the Chinese military's Southern Theater Command said it had "organized a joint combat patrol in the sea and air space" near the area.

The maneuvers tested "the reconnaissance and early warning, rapid mobility, and joint strike capabilities of theater troops," Beijing said.

China has long used its coast guard to press its claims in the South China Sea.

'Meant to intimidate'

And while the Chinese military had been deployed near the Scarborough Shoal in the past, one analyst told AFP Wednesday's action showed they were "becoming more aggressive and forceful."

"It's meant to intimidate," Jay Batongbacal, director of the Manila-based Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, said.

"It's definitely meant to send a message, a show of force," he added.

In a statement, Armed Forces of the Philippines public affairs office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said they have not monitored any exercise or combat patrols.

"Initial reports from the ground indicate no trace of Chinese military activity in the area of Bajo de Masinloc (BDM) as of August 7, 2024. Aside from the usual illegal encroachment and presence of Chinese maritime militia vessels, we have not monitored any purported exercise or combat patrols," he said. 

He, however, confirmed the presence of three PLA Navy vessels, namely PLA-Navy WUZHOU (FSG 626) Jiangdao II Class Corvette, PLA-Navy HUANGSHAN (FFG 570) Jiankai II Class Corvette, and PLA-Navy QUJING (FSG 668) Jiangdao II Class Corvette, that tailed the ongoing Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity among the Philippines, Australia, Canada, and United States.

"Nevertheless, the safety of our personnel and the overall conduct of the MMCA remains an utmost priority," he said.

Trinidad further said the most recent Chinese exercise in the northern part of the South China Sea took place from July 31 to August  2. This, however, occurred outside the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

He added the AFP, in coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard and other agencies, will continue to monitor the situation as part of its mandate to protect the country's territory, sovereignty, and sovereign rights based on international law.

'Aggravate tensions'

There has been a series of escalating confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea in recent months, including around a warship grounded for years by Manila on the contested Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin Shoal) in the Spratly Islands.

One of the most serious incidents took place in June, when Chinese sailors brandishing weapons including knives and an axe boarded Philippine naval vessels near the strategic reef.

The Philippine military said one of its sailors lost a thumb in the confrontation in which Beijing's coast guard also confiscated or destroyed Philippine equipment including guns.

Beijing blamed the escalation on Manila and maintains its actions to protect its claims are legal and proportional.

In recent weeks, the Philippines and China have agreed on a "provisional arrangement" for resupplying Filipino troops stationed on Second Thomas Shoal and also to increase the number of communication lines to resolve disputes in the waterway.

Last month, the United States said it would provide $500 million in additional military funding to the Philippines to combat Beijing's growing assertiveness.

Beijing said in response that "wooing countries from outside the region to provoke confrontation... will only undermine regional stability and aggravate tensions."

The investment "will only lead to greater insecurity" for Manila, it warned.

Also on Wednesday, the Philippines launched two days of joint sea and air exercises with the United States, Canada and Australia, according to a joint statement.

A Manila military spokesman told AFP that the drills were taking place in the "West Philippine Sea," the country's name for areas within its territory. — Agence France-Presse with GMA Integrated News