China’s navy has carried out combat patrols near the contested Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, escalating tensions with the Philippines and sparking renewed regional concern over Beijing’s maritime assertiveness.

The People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theatre Command conducted drills around Huangyan Island—China’s name for the Scarborough Shoal—which is claimed by both China and the Philippines. State media described the actions as aimed at strengthening Chinese control over nearby sea and airspace.

Chinese state outlet Xinhua reported the exercises were meant to “resolutely defend national sovereignty and maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.”

The shoal, a traditional Filipino fishing ground located 220 km from Luzon, was seized by China in 2012 and has since become a flashpoint in regional disputes.

Philippine-Chinese Clashes Escalate

Manila recently accused China of “dangerous maneuvers” near the shoal, including the use of a water cannon that damaged a Philippine coastguard ship. This follows a pattern of increasingly aggressive encounters as Beijing intensifies its claims to nearly the entire South China Sea.

An international tribunal in 2016 ruled China’s expansive maritime claims have no legal basis under international law—rulings Beijing continues to ignore.

New Provocations in the Yellow Sea

Meanwhile, South Korea announced the discovery of three new Chinese buoys in contested waters in the Yellow Sea, bringing the total to 13. Seoul accused Beijing of unauthorized activity in a provisional maritime zone jointly managed for navigation and fishing.

Tensions spiked last week when China declared three no-sail zones in the region, widely believed to facilitate military training operations.