China said the patrols were to test “strike capabilities”.
BEIJING - China on Aug 7 carried out a combat patrol to test “strike capabilities” near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, a flashpoint area also claimed by the Philippines.
China in 2012 used coastguard vessels to take control of the shoal, a triangular chain of reefs and rocks that are part of a rich fishing ground and had long been used by Filipino fishermen as a safe harbour. The Chinese coastguard also conducted a separate patrol on Aug 7 to “uphold its rights” around another group of contested islands in the East China Sea that are administered by Japan, Beijing’s state media said.And while the Chinese military had been deployed near the Scarborough Shoal in the past, one analyst told AFP Aug 7’s action showed they were “becoming more aggressive and forceful”.
But Associate Professor Chong Ja Ian from the National University of Singapore said it would be best to wait and “see what the drill actually involves”.
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