China Carries Out Patrols Near Contested Islets in South China Sea

(MENAFN) China announced Saturday it conducted enforcement operations near contested islets in the South China Sea, a zone simultaneously claimed by the Philippines, local outlets confirmed.

The Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) executed a law enforcement patrol throughout the territorial waters and adjacent zones of China's Huangyan Dao, media reported.

In an official statement, the CCG revealed it has escalated law enforcement sweeps in Huangyan Dao's territorial waters and neighboring areas beginning this month.

"The CCG, in accordance with laws and regulations, carried out tracking, warning, intercepting and expelling operations against ships and aircraft that engaged in illegal infringing and harassing activities in this region," the agency stated.

The missions sought to "strengthen the management and control of the related maritime areas and firmly safeguard China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," the CCG added.

China asserts sovereignty over Huangyan Dao—internationally recognized as Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc—a strategic maritime feature the Philippines also claims as its territory.

The shoal represents a persistent friction point in ongoing maritime confrontations between Beijing and Manila.

The intensified patrols signal China's determination to assert control over the disputed waters, where both nations have maintained competing territorial claims for decades, raising regional security concerns.

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