Latest news with #ScarboroughShoal
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Chinese forces patrol Scarborough Shoal in South China Sea to ‘defend sovereignty'
The Chinese military and coastguard on Saturday launched a sea and air combat readiness patrol around Scarborough Shoal , known as Huangyan Island in China, to 'further strengthen its control and defend its sovereignty', according to an official statement. Advertisement The show of force came a day after China's state broadcaster aired rare footage of Chinese military drills in contested waters near the Spratly Islands, known as the Nansha Islands in China, highlighting Beijing's ability to take military action in the event of 'sudden military threats.' The Southern Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) said it had deployed forces to patrol the waters and airspace as part of its continuous efforts this month to strengthen control over the area. A statement released by the command on Saturday said the Chinese coastguard had also patrolled the area, adding that the coastguard had been monitoring, warning and expelling ships that had entered the waters. The patrols come about a month after China and the Philippines accused each of provocative actions near the contested Scarborough Shoal following a tense encounter between two coastguard vessels. Advertisement
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- General
- Al Jazeera
China's navy conducts combat patrols near disputed South China Sea shoal
China's navy has conducted 'combat readiness patrols' near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, while South Korean officials separately announced the discovery of more Chinese buoys in contested waters in the Yellow Sea. The Southern Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) conducted the drills in the 'territorial waters and airspace of China's Huangyan Island and surrounding areas', state-run news outlet Xinhua reported on Saturday, using China's name for the Scarborough Shoal. The report said the PLA had been conducting drills in the area throughout May to 'further strengthen the control of relevant sea and air areas, resolutely defend national sovereignty and security, and resolutely maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea'. The Scarborough Shoal is a rocky islet claimed by The Philippines, located 220km (119 miles) west of Luzon, the nearest landmass. Beijing blockaded and seized the territory, a traditional fishing ground, from Manila in 2012. The Chinese navy regularly carries out provocative military drills in the area as part of its claims of sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea, despite a 2016 international tribunal ruling that Beijing's claims had no legal basis under international law. In late April, Manila accused Beijing of carrying out 'dangerous manoeuvres and obstruction' after a Chinese naval ship damaged a Philippine coastguard ship with a water cannon near the shoal. Also on Saturday, South Korean officials announced they had recorded three new Chinese buoys installed near overlapping waters with South Korea, bringing the total number of such devices installed by China in the Yellow Sea to 13. '[We] are closely monitoring activities within the provisional maritime zone [PMZ], including China's unauthorised installation of structures, and will closely [cooperate] with relevant agencies to protect our maritime sovereignty,' a Ministry of Defence official said, according to South Korea's official Yonhap news agency. Two of the Chinese buoys – first detected in May 2023, but only announced this week – have been installed near the zone, according to Yonhap. The third buoy is located inside the maritime zone, a contested area where the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) claims of South Korea and China overlap, Yonhap added. China asserts its maritime boundary is based on a 1962 agreement signed with North Korea which cuts into waters South Korea considers part of its economic zone. The Yellow Sea PMZ allows joint management of marine resources and prohibits activities beyond navigation and fishing. However, tensions have grown between Beijing and Seoul as China has repeatedly erected installations in the waters, including 10 three-metre-wide and six-metre-tall observation buoys since 2018 and a fixed steel structure in 2022. Last week, China declared three no-sail zones within the zone, in a move 'believed to be for military training purposes', according to the Korea Joongang Daily newspaper. The no-sail declarations caused concern in Seoul over a potential uptick in Chinese military activity in the area.
NHK
08-05-2025
- Politics
- NHK
Manila, Beijing swap accusations over South China Sea incident
The Philippines says Chinese naval ships have conducted what it calls "aggressive and unsafe" movements in disputed waters in the South China Sea. Beijing has rejected the claim. The Philippine military says the incident occurred earlier this week when its patrol ship encountered two Chinese frigates near the Scarborough Shoal. Philippine military video footage shows one of the Chinese vessels sailing alongside the patrol ship while the other crossed in front of its path. The military describes the measure as threatening and provocative, saying it could have resulted in a misunderstanding that increased tensions and impacted regional stability. A spokesperson for China's Southern Theater Command has dismissed the claim, saying the shoal is China's inherent territory. He says the Philippine vessel was attempting to intrude into Chinese territorial waters. He called on the Philippines to immediately stop its "infringement, provocation and distortion of the truth." Manila and Beijing have been locked in a long-standing dispute over the Scarborough Shoal. But it is unusual for warships from both countries to confront each other. The shoal lies within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, but China effectively controls it. Last year, Beijing unilaterally announced baselines in what was seen as an attempt to consolidate its control over the area.
South China Morning Post
08-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
South China Sea: PLA blocks Philippine warship in move Manila calls ‘reckless'
China's military said it had 'effectively stopped' a Philippine Navy ship from entering waters near a disputed South China Sea shoal – an encounter Manila described as 'reckless' and 'dangerous'. Advertisement In a Thursday statement, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theatre Command, which oversees the South China Sea , said the Philippine warship BRP Emilio Jacinto (PS35) had attempted to intrude into Chinese territorial waters near Scarborough Shoal – known as Huangyan Island in China – on Monday. Naval and air forces were dispatched to monitor, warn, and expel the ship, according to the statement. 'The scene was handled with strict adherence to law and regulations, in a professional and standardised manner,' said Senior Colonel Tian Junli, the command's spokesman. He said the PLA had 'forcefully and effectively stopped the incursion'. Tian also accused Manila of 'distorting facts and misleading international perception'. 'Scarborough Shoal is China's inherent territory,' Tian added. 'We sternly warn the Philippine side to immediately stop infringing and provocative acts, and to cease hyping and distorting the facts.' Advertisement Manila also addressed the incident in a statement on Thursday. The Armed Forces of the Philippines accused China of 'harassment' and 'dangerous manoeuvres', stating the incident occurred just 11.8 nautical miles (22km or 14 miles) southeast of the shoal.
Asharq Al-Awsat
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Philippines, China Trade Accusations on South China Sea Confrontation
The Philippines and China gave conflicting versions on Thursday of a maritime confrontation around a contested shoal in the South China Sea, the latest incident in a longstanding dispute between the neighbors. A Philippine Navy patrol near the disputed Scarborough Shoal encountered "aggressive and unsafe" movements by two Chinese Navy vessels earlier this week, the Philippine military said. China's military, meanwhile, accused the Philippine frigate of "attempting to invade" the waters around the feature and said that it had organized naval and air forces to track and expel the vessel, in a statement released by its Southern Theatre Command. The Scarborough Shoal, named for a British ship grounded on the atoll nearly three centuries ago, is one of Asia's most contested maritime features and a flashpoint for diplomatic flare-ups over sovereignty and fishing rights. "Such threatening and provocative conduct can lead to misunderstanding that may escalate tensions and impact regional stability," the Armed Forces of the Philippines said in a statement. China claims sovereignty over nearly all the South China Sea, including areas claimed by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. "(Scarborough Shoal) is China's inherent territory. We urge the Philippine side to immediately cease its infringement, provocation and distorted speculation," Tian Junli, a spokesman for China's Southern Theatre said. "Theater troops are on high alert at all times, resolutely defending national sovereignty, maritime rights and interests, and resolutely maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea region," Tian added.
