China holds air, navy patrol in South China Sea
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- China's Southern Theatre Command organized a routine naval and air patrol in the South China Sea on Sunday, according to a statement from the People's Liberation Army.
- Senior Navy Colonel Zhai Shichen, the command's spokesperson, accused the Philippines of "rallying foreign countries to organise so-called joint patrols" that disrupted the South China Sea and undermined regional peace and stability.
- Zhai said the command's forces would "resolutely defend national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interest, firmly maintaining regional peace and stability."
- China asserts sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea, a claim overlapping with several Southeast Asian nations and rejected by a 2016 international arbitral ruling.
- Beijing continues to reject the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated the legal basis for its sweeping claims in the disputed waterway.
Why it matters: The PLA's formal accusation that Manila is pulling foreign partners into the South China Sea signals Beijing is escalating its rhetorical pressure on the Philippines while continuing routine military activity, keeping the dispute on a slow simmer rather than de-escalating. Zhai's dual language — criticizing Manila while vowing to defend sovereignty — frames every Philippine military engagement with allies as the provocation, shifting the diplomatic burden onto the Philippines and its partners.
