The Southern Theater Command of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has completed a series of routine naval and air patrol operations in the South China Sea, conducted from Monday through Friday. The military activities were officially confirmed by theater command spokesman Zhai Shichen in a statement released on Saturday.
According to the military spokesperson, these patrols represent standard operational procedures aimed at maintaining regional security. The announcement came alongside criticism of recent military cooperation between the Philippines and an unspecified external nation. Zhai characterized these joint aerial exercises as destabilizing to regional peace and security.
‘The Philippines has colluded with certain countries outside the region to conduct so-called bilateral air patrols,’ Zhai stated, suggesting such actions compromise the stability of the strategic waterway. The spokesman emphasized that Chinese military forces remain in a state of heightened readiness to protect what Beijing considers its sovereign territories and maritime interests.
The statement reaffirmed China’s position on maintaining control over disputed waters while underscoring the PLA’s commitment to responding to perceived provocations. The patrols occurred amid ongoing tensions in one of the world’s most crucial shipping corridors, where multiple nations maintain competing territorial claims.