China conducted its own “combat patrols” in the disputed South China Sea on Sunday, April 7, the same day joint naval drills were conducted by the Philippines, the United States, Japan, and Australia.
A statement published on state-owned Global Times said that the “Southern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army organized a joint maritime and aerial combat patrol on Sunday in the South China Sea.”
“All military activities that disturb the stability of the South China Sea are under control,” it added.
A separate statement from the PLA Southern Theater Command published on the Chinese Ministry of National Defense’s website said that “all military activities disrupting the South China Sea situation and creating buzzes are under control.”
Beijing’s military activities were announced a day after the defense chiefs of four countries also announced a joint maritime activity in the West Philippine Sea, a portion of which is being claimed entirely by China.
While further details of the Chinese military activities have yet to be publicly announced, this latest move also came days before a trilateral summit between President Marcos, US President Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
The maritime drills are seen as a show of force against China’s expanding and increasing aggression in the region.
Tensions have been running high in the South China Sea, particularly near the vicinity of the Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone as China ramps up its water cannon attacks against Philippine vessels in a resupply mission to the grounded BRP Sierra Madre.
The latest incident injured three Filipino soldiers and damaged a Philippine maritime vessel.
China has warned other countries against siding with the Philippines, but the US, Japan, and Australia maintain legitimate interests in securing the region, where more than $5 trillion worth of vital global trade passed through according to 2021 figures.