On Sunday, China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command announced that it had conducted joint naval and air training exercises around the Scarborough Shoal, which China refers to as Huangyan Dao and the Philippines calls Bajo de Masinloc. The military stated that the operation was a "necessary response to actions by certain countries" that it claimed had undermined regional peace and stability, and aimed to test and enhance combat capabilities in safeguarding China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.
The Scarborough Shoal is a triangular coral reef known for its rich marine resources, located 124 nautical miles off Masinloc, Zambales, and is considered within the Philippines' 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague deemed the shoal a high-tide feature, but ruled that it could not sustain human habitation or economic life and therefore had no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf. The PCA also found that China had unlawfully prevented Filipino fishermen from engaging in traditional fishing in the area, a ruling China does not recognize.
The timing of these exercises, the day after Chinese President Xi Jinping returned from a state visit to the United States, has drawn attention. State-run media outlet Global Times cited experts who suggested the exercises were a serious warning to the Philippines. This incident follows continued maritime confrontations, such as a September 24 statement from the China Coast Guard regarding a Philippine supply vessel at Second Thomas Shoal. Further military tensions are anticipated, as China's Zhuhai Maritime Safety Administration announced live-fire exercises in parts of the South China Sea on September 28 and 30.
The Philippine Embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the Chinese military training. China maintains that it has sovereignty over the South China Sea Islands, including the Zhongsha Islands, of which it considers Scarborough Shoal a part, and asserts historical rights and extensive maritime claims in the region.
