China holds drills at disputed Scarborough Shoal

China has conducted what it called “routine” naval and air exercises near the Scarborough Shoal in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea, China’s military said.

The weekend drills were aimed at boosting capabilities in reconnaissance, surveillance, alert patrol, combat readiness and joint strike operations in real combat environments, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said.

“On Sept. 28, the Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army organized routine exercises such as reconnaissance and early warning, sea and air patrols … near China’s Huangyan island,” the command that’s responsible for the South China Sea said in a statement, referring to the shoal by its Chinese name.

Scarborough Shoal, known as Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines, is about 125 nautical miles (232 km) from the main Philippine island of Luzon. China now effectively controls it, even though a landmark international arbitration case in 2016 rejected Beijing’s claims to most of the South China Sea.

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Also on Saturday, the Philippine military, together with Australian, Japanese, New Zealand and U.S. forces, held joint maritime drills in the disputed waterway, drawing criticism from the PLA’s Southern Command.

“Some countries outside the region are disrupting the South China Sea and creating regional instability,” the Chinese military said. 

China has repeatedly said that the U.S., as an outsider, has no say in the South China Sea.

On Friday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in New York to discuss a variety of issues, including ways to reduce tension and avoid conflict in the South China Sea.

Wang reportedly emphasized that “China insists on resolving differences with countries directly concerned through dialogue and consultation.” 

Five-nation joint drills

The joint drills on Saturday, involving navies from the Philippines and the four other nations, also took place in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal, Philippine officials said.

Six Philippine warships joined the so-called Multilateral Marine Cooperative Activity (MMCA) alongside three destroyers from the U.S., Japan and Australia, and a New Zealand replenishment vessel.

The Philippine military said an anti-submarine helicopter and search and rescue assets from the Philippines also took part in the MMCA, as well as two helicopters from the U.S., and a P-8 Poseidon aircraft and a helicopter from Australia.

Two Chinese vessels monitored the joint exercise but there was no reported confrontation.

The exercise was “a clear display of our resistance to China’s bullying,” said Philippine Sen. Risa Hontiveros.

“These exercises demonstrate the commitment of the international community to uphold the rules-based order in the entire South China Sea,” she said in a statement, “It shows that we who believe in the rule of law will not tolerate any form of violence, threat, or intimidation.”

“It has always been clear that it is China who is provoking tensions in the West Philippine Sea – not us – so it is China who must stop her aggression,” Hontiveros said, referring to the part of the South China Sea within the Philippines’ EEZ.

An EEZ is typically 200 nautical miles (370 km) from a country’s coast and the coastal country has jurisdiction over natural resources in the waters and the seabed. 

Jason Gutierrez in Manila contributed to this story.