China Conducts “Combat Readiness” Patrols near Scarborough Shoal after U.S.-Philippines Drills

China conducted combat readiness patrols around the disputed Scarborough Shoal after recent U.S.-Philippines maritime drills in the hotly contested South China Sea.

The People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theatre Command organized naval and air forces to patrol the territorial waters and airspace around Huangyan Dao (Chinese name for Scarborough Shoal), which China claims as its inherent territory. The command said patrols have been stepped up since January to counter what it called “provocations and infringements by individual countries in the region.”

Video released by Chinese state media showed H-6K bombers armed with YJ-12 anti-ship missiles operating alongside Type 055 guided missile destroyer Xianyang and other warships and aircraft. A map published by Yuyuantantian, a social media account affiliated with China Central Television (CCTV), showed PLA aircraft patrolling toward the southeastern sector after flying in formation over Huangyan Dao.

The patrols followed the 11th U.S.-Philippines bilateral maritime cooperative activity held on January 25–26 near Bajo de Masinloc, the Philippine name for Scarborough Shoal. Manila deployed guided missile frigate BRP Antonio Luna, FA-50PH fighter jets, an A-29 Super Tucano aircraft, an AW-109 helicopter, and BRP Gabriela Silang coast guard vessel. The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command fielded guided missile destroyer USS John Finn and an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter.

China’s defense ministry accused Manila of using the drills as a cover for encroachment. Defense ministry spokesperson Jiang Bin said the Philippines was “delusional in attempting to carry out infringement and provocation under the guise of exercises, deliberately creating tensions at sea,” adding that China was “strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed” to the move and had lodged representations with Manila.

Chinese state-linked accounts said the Philippines had designated a large exercise zone from January 21 to March 31 that included areas it claims as its own. The PLA said its patrols demonstrated China’s jurisdiction and invalidated the Philippine-designated zone.

Maritime confrontations between China and the Philippines have intensified in recent years, with Manila accusing Chinese vessels of aggressive maneuvers, water cannon use, and interference with resupply missions within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Beijing maintains sovereignty claims over much of the South China Sea.

Under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, ratified in 1996, coastal states are entitled to maritime zones. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled China’s nine-dash line claims invalid, a decision Beijing rejects.