Chinese training near Scarborough Shawl came when South Korea announced it was finding a new Chinese buoy in the yellow sea.
The Chinese Navy is conducting a “combat preparation patrol” near the conflicted Scarborough shawl in the South China Sea, and South Korean officials have separately announced the discoveries of more Chinese buoys in the contested seas of the yellow sea.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theatre Headquarters has drilled “territories and airspaces in Wangyan Island and its surrounding areas in China.”
The report said during May, the PLA “trained to further strengthen its management of related seas and air force regions, firmly protect the sovereignty and security of the nation, and firmly maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.”
Scarborough Shoal is a rocky island claimed by the Philippines, located 220km (119 miles) west of Luzon, the nearest land area. Beijing blocked and seized the territory, a traditional fishing ground from Manila in 2012.
Despite the 2016 International Court decision, the Chinese Navy regularly carries out provocative military training in the region as part of the allegations of nearly all sovereignty in the South China Sea.
In late April, Manila accused Beijing of “dangerous maneuvering and obstructing” after Chinese naval vessels damaged a ship along the Philippine coast with shells near shallow waters.
Yellow sea tension
Also on Saturday, South Korean officials announced that they recorded three new Chinese buoys installed near waters that overlapped with South Korea, bringing the total number of such devices installed by China in the yellow sea to 13.
“[We] We are closely monitoring activities within the temporary maritime zone. [PMZ]including the installation of unauthorized structures in China, and intimately [cooperate] According to South Korea’s official Yonhap news agency, a Ministry of Defense official said.
According to Yonhap, the two Chinese buoys were first detected in May 2023, but were only announced this week, but are installed near the zone.
The third buoy is located within the maritime zone, a competing area where Korea and China’s exclusive economic zones (EEZs) overlap, Yonghap added.
China claims its maritime boundaries are based on a 1962 agreement signed with North Korea, and South Korea is blocked by waters that consider part of its economic zone.
The Yellow Sea PMZ allows for joint management of marine resources and prohibits activities beyond navigation and fishing.
However, tensions are rising between Beijing and Seoul as China is repeatedly installed in waters. These include 10 and 6 meters tall observation buoys from 2018 onwards, 3 meters wide, and fixed steel constructions for 2022.
Last week, China declared three sales zones within the zone, “it is considered to be the purpose of military training,” according to the South Korean Daily Newspaper.
The no-sales declaration raised concerns in Seoul about the potential rise in Chinese military activities in the region.
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