Beijing deploys coast guard after Japan and the Philippines announce maritime boundary talks; navy and air force assets patrol near Scarborough Shoal following joint US-Philippine drills

Chinese military conducts drills in the South China Sea. [Captured from the PLA Southern Theater Command's WeChat account]
Chinese military conducts drills in the South China Sea. [Captured from the PLA Southern Theater Command's WeChat account]

China has deployed military and coast guard forces in the South China Sea and in waters east of Taiwan in a series of maritime shows of force.

Analysts say Beijing is ratcheting up regional pressure in response to a joint US-Philippine military exercise and Japan and the Philippines' move to begin maritime boundary negotiations.

Zhang Lue, a spokesperson for China's Coast Guard, said Sunday via WeChat that a fleet led by the coast guard vessel Daisan had conducted "law enforcement patrols" in waters east of Taiwan that day.

Zhang said the patrol was a response to Japan and the Philippines "unilaterally declaring the launch of maritime boundary delimitation negotiations in waters east of Taiwan, seriously infringing on China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests."

He called on Japan and the Philippines to "immediately stop all illegal acts that infringe on China's sovereignty and rights."

Japan and the Philippines agreed at summit talks on May 28 to formally begin negotiations on delimiting their exclusive economic zones and continental shelves.

China has pushed back, arguing that the waters in question are connected to the sea area east of Taiwan and that the negotiations constitute an illegal and void act infringing on China's EEZ and continental shelf rights.

Zhang said China's coast guard would "continuously strengthen control over the relevant waters and resolutely defend the nation's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests through concrete actions."

China regards Taiwan as part of its own territory and claims jurisdiction over the waters to Taiwan's east.

Beyond the waters east of Taiwan, China has also been expanding its military presence in the South China Sea.

The People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command announced Saturday via its official WeChat account that it had conducted combat-readiness patrols with naval and air force assets in the waters and airspace near Scarborough Shoal — known in China as Huangyan Island and in the Philippines as Bajo de Masinloc.

The Southern Theater Command said Huangyan Island is "China's inherent territory" and that it was "continuously strengthening patrols and alert operations in the relevant waters to effectively counter various acts of infringement and provocation."

Footage released by the Southern Theater Command showed Type 052D destroyers and Type 054A and Type 056A frigates of the PLA Navy. Air force assets included H-6K strategic bombers and J-16 fighter jets.

The H-6K bombers were also seen carrying YJ-12 anti-ship missiles.

China's coast guard also announced it had conducted law enforcement patrols near Scarborough Shoal on the same day.

The coast guard described the operations as measures "to defend national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests."

The show of force drew attention because it came immediately after a joint US-Philippine exercise in the South China Sea.

According to the US Seventh Fleet, Philippine forces and the US Coast Guard conducted maritime cooperative activities within the Philippine EEZ from May 26 to May 30.

The US side did not disclose the specific location of the drills, but Philippine media reported that the exercises took place near Scarborough Shoal.

The United States and the Philippines also held their annual joint exercise Balikatan from April 20 to May 8, drawing roughly 17,000 participants. Japan, Australia, New Zealand, France and Canada also sent troops.

The exercise covered not only the northern Philippines, which faces the Taiwan Strait, but also disputed waters in the South China Sea — leading analysts to characterize it as clearly aimed at China.

Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military expert, told the state-run Global Times that the Philippines' joint patrols were "more of a show than of any practical significance," given that China had already established a permanent control system over Huangyan Island.

He added that while the Philippines claims to be defending regional peace, it "has been continuously drawing in outside forces to back its own acts of infringement and provocation in the South China Sea."


mokiya@heraldcorp.com