China Steps Up Presence at Scarborough Shoal Amid Tensions With Philippines

31/05/2026

BEIJING, May 31: China’s military and coast guard conducted patrols near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on Saturday, a day after the Philippines warned that it continues to face security threats from Beijing despite a recent easing of tensions between China and the United States.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command said its naval and air forces carried out combat readiness patrols in the waters and airspace around the shoal, which is one of the most contested maritime features in the region.

In a statement posted on WeChat, the command said the patrols were intended to counter what it described as “rights violation and provocative acts” in the area.

China’s coast guard separately announced that it had conducted law enforcement patrols near Scarborough Shoal and said it had dealt with vessels involved in “illegal rights-violation activities” since May, though it did not provide further details.

The patrols came a day after Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said Manila remained under threat from Beijing despite signs of improving relations between China and the United States.

Scarborough Shoal, claimed by both China and the Philippines, has long been a flashpoint in the South China Sea, where competing territorial claims have fueled tensions over sovereignty, fishing rights and maritime access.

The latest developments unfolded as defense ministers, military leaders and policymakers from across the Asia-Pacific region gathered in Singapore for the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, one of the region’s leading security forums.

The Philippine Embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Chinese patrols.