The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and China Coast Guard have executed coordinated maritime patrol operations within the territorial waters surrounding Huangyan Island, demonstrating China’s ongoing commitment to maritime sovereignty enforcement. These routine patrol activities, conducted on December 31, 2025, represent standard procedure for maintaining jurisdictional oversight in China’s claimed maritime territories.
The joint operations involved sophisticated naval and coast guard assets conducting comprehensive surveillance and monitoring missions. These patrols serve multiple strategic purposes including maritime domain awareness, sovereignty assertion, and regional stability maintenance. The exercises followed established international protocols for military activities in territorial waters.
Chinese authorities characterized these operations as legitimate exercises of national rights consistent with international law and China’s longstanding territorial claims. The patrols occurred without incident and were described as part of normal military and law enforcement activities that China regularly conducts throughout its claimed maritime territories.
The timing of these operations coincides with ongoing regional efforts to maintain stability in the South China Sea. China maintains that such activities contribute to peaceful coexistence and mutual understanding among neighboring nations while protecting China’s legitimate maritime interests.