The Chinese naval and air combat drills at Scarborough Shoal is the latest deployment of high-end military forces at the disputed feature to counter Philippine and American forces in the South China Sea.
A Chinese bomber equipped with supersonic anti-ship missiles flew over a disputed South China Sea maritime feature that Beijing claims as its own during combat readiness patrols alongside frigates and fighter jets on Wednesday.
A People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command release stated that the combat drills at Scarborough Shoal, which occurred on the National Day of the People’s Republic of China, were meant to “reinforce patrols and vigilance, further strengthen control and management of relevant areas, and effectively counter unlawful infringements and provocations.”
The H-6 bomber over Scarborough Shoal was equipped with YJ-12 supersonic anti-ship missiles, a maritime strike weapon capable of striking targets 500 kilometers away. Type 054A frigates Chenzhou (552), Liuzhou (573) and Bayanner (551), as well as at least two J-16 fighter jets, were also deployed to the contested maritime feature. A video from the theater command showed the warships sailing in formation and launching at least one Z-9 utility helicopter.
“The move aims to firmly safeguard China’s sovereignty and security while maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea,” read the release.
Despite its original design stemming from the Cold War-era Tu-16 bomber, the H-6 has received numerous upgrades over the decades to become one of Beijing’s most potent aerial strike platforms. Newer variants of the Chinese bomber can sortie with air-launched ballistic missiles, hypersonics and other munitions to hold American and other forces at risk across the first island chain. The People’s Liberation Army has previously deployed the bombers to artificial island base airfields in the South China Sea, putting the entirety of the Philippines within striking range.
Chinese military forces, operating from bases in Hainan or one of several artificial island outposts, have frequently patrolled the waters around Scarborough alongside vessels from the China Coast Guard and China Maritime Militia. Wednesday also saw a patrol from Chinese cutters at the shoal. Prior encounters included aerial interceptions of Manila’s recon patrols and aggressive maneuvering against a Philippine Navy patrol ship.
This deployment comes amid recent incidents and encounters around the hotly contested maritime feature. Known to China as Huangyan Island and to the Philippines as Bajo de Masinloc, Scarborough Shoal has been the flashpoint of a long-running territorial dispute between Beijing and Manila. Under the Ten-Dash Line claim, China views the maritime feature as sovereign territory. For the Philippines, the shoal resides within its western exclusive economic zone and is located 120 nautical miles west of Luzon.
While Beijing has maintained a near constant presence at Scarborough since an incident in 2012, tensions recently came to a head following a collision between the People’s Liberation Army Navy destroyer Guilin (164) and China Coast Guard Jiangdao-class cutter 3104 in August. Manila has also sent escorted fishing fleets under its Kadiwa initiative, a program designed to support the country’s fishermen amid coercive tactics from Chinese forces in the region. An incident last month saw Chinese cutters intercept numerous Philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessels, with one interdiction attempt leading to the injury of a Filipino sailor.
