China Holds Military Drills Near Scarborough Shoal
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- China's PLA conducted joint naval and air drills near Scarborough Shoal on Saturday, testing its ability to coordinate air and sea operations and provide rapid reinforcements, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
- The Philippines presented its bid to the United Nations this week to extend its seabed to include the disputed shoal, which China claims almost in its entirety.
- The PLA Southern Theater Command declared the Philippine "territorial sea baselines of Huangyan Dao" "illegal and invalid" in a statement.
- China also released rules Saturday for a nature reserve it established last year around Scarborough Shoal, banning unauthorized fishing, mining, and coral harvesting.
- Chinese coast guard and Philippine sailors or fishermen faced off at least three times last week, including one incident where Chinese personnel allegedly struck a Philippine sailor in the head with a baton, per the Philippine military.
Why it matters: China claims nearly all of the South China Sea — a vital global trade route with rich undersea gas and oil deposits — and Manila's UN bid to extend its seabed baseline around the shoal prompted Beijing's drills and a sharp PLA rejection. With Filipino fishermen and sailors already facing near-weekly confrontations, including a baton strike that wounded a sailor last week, the escalation risks further injuries and a harder legal standoff.
