China conducts combat readiness patrol in South China Sea amid rising tensions

China's military has intensified its patrols in the South China Sea, conducting a "combat readiness patrol" around the Scarborough Shoal, which China calls Huangyan. The People's Liberation Army's Southern Theater Command announced that naval and air force units participated in the exercise, which began in early May.

The command stated the patrol serves as an effective measure against rights violations and provocations in waters China claims as its sovereign territory. The exercise aims to protect China's territorial integrity and maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea. The Scarborough Shoal, a triangular reef with a lagoon, lies east of the South China Sea, 222 kilometers north of the Philippines' Luzon Island.

This area has become a focal point for territorial disputes, with China calling it Huangyan and the Philippines naming it Panatag. Tensions flared in 2012 when the Philippine Coast Guard attempted to detain Chinese fishing vessels, leading to a confrontation with Chinese Coast Guard forces and China eventually taking control of the reef.

The South China Sea has been a site of sovereignty disputes since World War II. China claims 80% of the sea based on a 1947 map, with the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, and Malaysia also asserting claims in the resource-rich waters. China's construction of bases on disputed islands and its presence of civilian fleets have drawn opposition from regional countries and the United States. A 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague declared China's unilateral claims in the South China Sea unlawful.

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The patrol activity is aimed at protecting China's territorial integrity and maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea.