China's military announced on Friday that it had tracked and warned three small Philippine aircraft that allegedly "illegally intruded into" airspace over the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea without Beijing's approval. The military issued a statement warning the Philippines to immediately cease such actions, which it claims violate Chinese sovereignty and could lead to miscalculation.
In a separate incident, China's Coast Guard reported that multiple Philippine vessels entered waters near Sabina Shoal, referred to by China as Xianbin Reef and by the Philippines as Escoda Shoal. The CCG stated it implemented control measures, including verbal warnings and forced expulsion, against these vessels.
Scarborough Shoal is a highly contested maritime feature in the South China Sea, frequently a site of diplomatic flare-ups concerning sovereignty and fishing rights. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that China's extensive claims in the region lacked international legal basis, a decision Beijing rejects. Sabina Shoal is located approximately 150 km west of the Philippine province of Palawan, well within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.
