China Stages Naval and Air Patrols Around Disputed Scarborough Shoal
China’s People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command said it dispatched naval and air units on 29 Aug. to conduct combat-readiness patrols in the waters and airspace surrounding Huangyan Dao, also known internationally as Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. The drills were described as a test of the forces’ seaworthiness and readiness and as a response to what the command called “infringement provocations,” according to a statement carried by state media. Separately, the China Coast Guard reported that it carried out law-enforcement patrols the same day and has intensified its presence around the shoal since early August. Beijing maintains that the reef is an inherent part of its territory, though the area is also claimed by the Philippines and has been a flashpoint for regional maritime tensions.
Sources
China Daily
The Southern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army announced that it conducted a combat readiness patrol in territorial waters, airspace and surrounding areas of China's Huangyan Island on Friday. #PLA #SouthChinaSea https://t.co/YZJivMrbUJ https://t.co/fvfw5OS5yY
People's Daily, China The China Coast Guard (CCG) conducted law enforcement patrols in the territorial waters off China's Huangyan Dao and surrounding areas on Friday. The CCG has intensified law enforcement patrols in the territorial waters off Huangyan Dao and surrounding areas since the beginning https://t.co/28Q1FZBDVe
Global Times The Chinese People's Liberation Army (#PLA) Southern Theater Command on Friday organized naval and air forces to conduct combat readiness patrols in the maritime and airspace surrounding territorial waters of China's Huangyan Dao, according to the theater command. Huangyan Dao is https://t.co/B3I5ZVwtSQ
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