Beijing claims that it will resolutely safeguard China’s sovereignty and security in the South China Sea.
China asserted its sovereignty over a disputed reef in the contested South China Sea by conducting military and coast guard patrols on Saturday—a claim the Philippines denied.
Newsweek has emailed both the Chinese and Philippine militaries for further comment.Why It Matters
China has claimed sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, overlapping the territorial claims of other regional countries—including the Philippines, a mutual defense treaty ally of the United States—and often leading to standoffs and clashes between their maritime forces.
The Chinese patrols were conducted around Huangyan Dao [Island], a fishing ground known in the Philippines as Bajo de Masinloc. The reef, under China’s control since 2012, lies closer to the Philippines’ Luzon Island than to the nearest Chinese island province, Hainan.
While the South China Sea reef lies within Manila’s internationally recognized 230-mile-wide exclusive economic zone, Beijing asserted jurisdiction over the surrounding waters by releasing a list of 16 base points connected by straight baselines in November 2024.What To Know
In a statement released on Saturday, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command announced that it had conducted what it called « combat readiness patrols » in the Chinese territorial waters and airspace around Huangyan Dao and its surrounding areas.
