China intensified maritime activities in contested waters on 3 July, dispatching Coast Guard Vessel 1306 to patrol around the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands and ordering the People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command to conduct combat-readiness air-and-sea patrols around Huangyan (Scarborough) Island in the South China Sea. The PLA said forces have been reinforcing their presence around Huangyan since June to “strengthen control” of surrounding waters and airspace. Japan’s 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters said four Chinese vessels, all fitted with deck-mounted cannons, were spotted near the Senkaku Islands the same day, marking 227 straight days of sightings—the longest unbroken stretch since Tokyo placed the islets under state ownership in 2012. Japanese patrol craft issued warnings to prevent the ships from entering the country’s territorial sea. Separately, Chinese maritime, fisheries, coast-guard and air-safety agencies launched a three-day joint enforcement drill dubbed “Hai’an 2025” in the Bohai Sea on 2 July, mobilising 14 enforcement ships and eight drones to inspect shipping lanes and carry out safety checks. The uptick in Chinese operations coincided with a visible U.S. naval presence in the region, as the aircraft carrier USS George Washington conducted a patrol in the South China Sea. Washington and its allies have repeatedly urged Beijing to refrain from actions that could heighten tensions in disputed waters.