China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea via a nine-dash line on its maps that cuts into parts of the exclusive economic zones of Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and Indonesia. An international arbitral tribunal ruled in 2016 that China’s sweeping claims have no basis under international law, a decision Beijing rejects.
“Such patrols are aimed at further enhancing control and management over relevant waters and airspace, and serve as an effective countermeasure to cope with all sorts of rights-violation and provocative acts,” the Chinese military said.
Separately, the China Coast Guard also conducted law-enforcement patrols in the waters around the shoal on Friday, calling the activities “necessary countermeasure in response to the Philippines’ rights-violation and provocative acts.”
Neither the Chinese military nor the China Coast Guard gave details on which Philippine actions they were referring to.
