China Holds Naval, Air Drills Near Scarborough Shoal
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- China's military and Coast Guard conducted joint air and naval combat drills around Scarborough Shoal — which China calls Huangyan Dao — in the airspace and territorial waters of the South China Sea, according to Chinese state media.
- The Chinese military described the exercise as a necessary response to 'certain countries' undermining regional peace and said it tested combat readiness to defend national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights.
- China declared the Philippine's 'so-called territorial sea baselines of Huangyan Dao' to be 'illegal and invalid'; Scarborough Shoal is also claimed by the Philippines, where it is known as Bajo de Masinloc, and the Philippine embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to comment.
- China issued new Aug 1 administrative rules for the Huangyan Island National Nature Reserve — established in September 2025 — banning unauthorized fishing, mining, coral or giant clam extraction and other harmful activities, with violators to be held legally accountable, Xinhua reported.
- The China Coast Guard separately ran a rights-protection and law enforcement drill near Huangyan Island on Aug 1 and announced it will set up regular patrols around the reserve and strengthen control measures in nearby waters, according to CCTV.
Why it matters: The drills and new reserve rules, both dated Aug 1, pair military assertion with administrative-and-enforcement control at the disputed shoal. With the Philippine embassy declining to comment, China is publicly establishing both a combat-readiness posture and a governance framework around a feature also claimed by Manila.
