(Adnkronos) – Air and sea patrol by the Chinese military around disputed areas in the South China Sea. They “carried out operational readiness patrols today in the surrounding areas and airspace over the territorial waters of Huangyan Dao” (Scarborough Shoal, claimed by the Philippines from which it was taken in 2012), reports the Chinese official news agency Xinhua.
The Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army states that “since November” “patrols and surveillance have been strengthened” in these areas. The stated goal is to “firmly defend national sovereignty and security”. And, observers point out, it is part of a crescendo of tensions between China, on the one hand, and the Philippines and the United States, on the other.
