Chinese Military Escalates South China Sea Patrols Amid Rising Tensions

The Chinese military extended its combat readiness patrols in the South China Sea, conducting rare drills over the weekend. The exercises aimed to enhance combat capabilities and maintain regional peace. The actions have drawn criticism from the U.S. and surrounding nations due to overlapping territorial claims.

The Chinese military extended its combat readiness patrols in the South China Sea from Monday to Tuesday, according to state media reports. This move comes as an extension of rare military drills conducted over the weekend in the contentious region.

The Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) conducted these patrols to bolster combat capabilities and contribute to regional peace and stability. China's expansive claims over the South China Sea overlap with those of Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Notably, a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague invalidated China's claims, a decision Beijing has not accepted.

On Saturday, Chinese air and naval forces performed maneuvers near the disputed Scarborough Shoal, following an announcement by Australia and the Philippines about upcoming joint maritime activities with Japan, New Zealand, and the United States within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The shoal, located 200 km west of the main Philippine island of Luzon, is claimed by both China and the Philippines.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently discussed China's 'dangerous and destabilizing actions' in the South China Sea with China's top diplomat Wang Yi in New York. Blinken has previously criticized China's aggressive deployments in the area, including the use of coast guard and fishing vessels suspected to be part of a maritime militia.

(With inputs from agencies.)