China conducts 'routine' patrols in the East Sea

The Chinese military said on September 14 that it had conducted “routine” patrols in the South China Sea, while warning the Philippines not to provoke.

A Chinese coast guard vessel (right) fires a water cannon at a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel on December 9 near Scarborough Shoal. (Source: Philippine Coast Guard)

The spokesman for the Southern Theater Command stressed that the Philippines must immediately stop provocative actions and escalate tensions in the East Sea.

“We sternly warn the Philippines to immediately stop provoking and escalating tensions in the South China Sea, and stop trying to enlist outside forces to support such futile actions. Any attempt to disrupt or sabotage the situation will not succeed,” the spokesman stressed.

The Philippine Maritime Council and the Armed Forces of the Philippines have not yet responded, and the Philippine Embassy in Beijing has not commented.

The reaction comes amid years of tensions in the South China Sea, with collisions between coast guard vessels from both sides and large-scale naval exercises.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/trung-quoc-tien-hanh-tuan-tra-thuong-le-tai-bien-dong-327636.html