Key facts
- China's military and coast guard conducted patrols around the disputed Scarborough Shoal.
- The patrols were conducted in response to joint US-Philippine naval drills near the shoal.
- China claims Scarborough Shoal, known as Huangyan Dao, as its territory.
- The Philippines also claims Scarborough Shoal.
- China stated the patrols were to safeguard its territorial claims and enhance law enforcement.
China's military and coast guard announced they had carried out patrols in the waters surrounding Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, asserting Beijing's territorial claims to the area. The Southern Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army stated that its naval and air forces conducted combat-readiness patrols in the territorial waters and airspace around the shoal. The China Coast Guard separately reported conducting law-enforcement patrols in the same vicinity, noting an enhancement of patrols this month and actions against ships engaged in "illegal rights-violation activities."