China’s navy has carried out “combat readiness patrols” near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, a move that comes amid rising tensions with both the Philippines and South Korea over territorial waters. The patrols were conducted by the Southern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in what China calls the “territorial waters and airspace of Huangyan Island,” referring to the Scarborough Shoal.
According to Chinese state media outlet Xinhua, the PLA has been conducting drills in the area throughout May. The exercises aim to “strengthen control of relevant sea and air areas” and “defend national sovereignty and security,” despite a 2016 international tribunal ruling that declared China’s sweeping claims over the South China Sea invalid under international law.
The Scarborough Shoal, located about 220km west of the Philippine island of Luzon, has been a flashpoint in China-Philippines tensions since Beijing seized control of the area in 2012. Traditionally a fishing ground for Filipinos, the shoal has seen repeated confrontations. In April, the Philippines accused Chinese forces of “dangerous manoeuvres” that led to the damage of a Philippine coastguard ship by water cannon fire near the shoal.
Meanwhile, in the Yellow Sea, South Korean authorities reported the installation of three additional Chinese buoys in disputed maritime areas. The latest discoveries bring the total number of Chinese buoys in the contested zone to 13. South Korea’s Ministry of Defence said it is closely monitoring China’s activities within the Provisional Maritime Zone (PMZ), an area of overlapping exclusive economic zone (EEZ) claims between the two countries.
The buoys were discovered near or within the PMZ, which was established to allow joint resource management and restrict non-navigational activities. The ministry emphasized the need for inter-agency cooperation to protect South Korea’s maritime sovereignty.
Tensions in the Yellow Sea have escalated in recent years, with China installing a series of observation buoys and even a fixed steel structure in 2022. In a move believed to signal military training exercises, China last week declared three no-sail zones within the PMZ, raising fresh concerns in Seoul about potential military escalations.
China bases its maritime boundary claims in the Yellow Sea on a 1962 agreement with North Korea, which encroaches on waters that South Korea considers part of its EEZ. The latest developments in both seas point to an intensifying maritime power struggle involving China and its neighbors, with growing calls for international engagement and regional dialogue to prevent further escalation.
