Chinese Navy Conducts Four Day Patrol in South China Sea

By Staff, Agencies

The naval forces of the Chinese army conducted a planned patrol in the South China Sea from February 23 to 26, according to an official statement.

The patrol was carried out by forces under the PLA Southern Theater Command, spokesperson Zhai Shichen said on Friday. "From February 23-26, the naval forces of the PLA Southern Theater Command conducted a planned patrol in the South China Sea waters," the spokesperson said in a statement published on WeChat.

Zhai Shichen added that attempts by the Philippines to involve extra-regional states in organizing so-called joint patrols risk destabilizing the region. He said such moves “provoke chaos in the South China Sea” and undermine regional peace and stability. "The PLA Southern Theater Command forces will resolutely defend China's national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and ensure peace and stability in the region," he added.

China has been engaged in longstanding territorial disputes with several Asia-Pacific countries over islands and maritime zones in the South China Sea, an area believed to hold significant hydrocarbon reserves.

Earlier this month, China’s military carried out combat-ready South China Sea patrols, according to a spokesperson for the PLA Southern Theater Command. “From February 15–16, the PLA Southern Theater Command deployed the navy and air force to conduct combat-ready patrols in the waters of the South China Sea,” Zhai Shichen said in a statement published on WeChat.

The drills were conducted by naval and air force units under the PLA Southern Theater Command, which oversees operations in the strategically sensitive maritime region.

The South China Sea territorial dispute involves competing claims by China, the Philippines, and several other Asia-Pacific countries over several islands and reefs believed to contain significant oil and gas reserves. Among the contested areas are the Paracel Islands, Thitu Island, Scarborough Shoal, and the Spratly Islands, which include the Whitson Reef. Energy resources discovered on the continental shelf surrounding these features have further intensified competition in the region.

It is worth mentioning that in July 2016, following a lawsuit filed by the Philippines, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China had no legal grounds for its expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea.

The tribunal determined that the disputed islands do not constitute an exclusive economic zone and are not subject to overlapping sovereignty claims in the manner asserted by Beijing. China, however, rejected the ruling and has refused to recognize or accept the decision.