The China Coast Guard conducted law-enforcement patrols around Scarborough Shoal. (AFP pic)BEIJING: China's military said on Friday its naval and air forces conducted combat readiness patrols around Scarborough Shoal, which has long been a flashpoint in tensions between Beijing and Manila in the South China Sea.
The People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command, in a statement, said the patrols were "necessary countermeasure in response to the Philippines' rights-violation and provocative acts" and it has strengthened such patrols this month.
The Philippine embassy in Beijing and the Philippine military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tensions between China and the Philippines resurfaced at the close of a two-day Association of Southeast Asian Nations defence gathering on Thursday, with Beijing accusing an unnamed Philippine politician of obstructing its participation in the event.
