China patrols Scarborough Shoal May 31

China’s military and coast guard said on May 31 they carried out patrols near Scarborough Shoal, the latest move around one of the South China Sea’s most contested features. The patrols came a day after Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said Manila remained under threat from Beijing despite a recent easing in U.S.-China tensions. The timing also followed a five-day joint maritime exercise by Philippine and U.S. forces near the shoal, according to Reuters and U.S. Naval Institute reporting. ### Why did the May 31 patrol matter? Scarborough Shoal sits about 220 km west of the Philippine island of Luzon and has been a recurring flashpoint between Beijing and Manila since China seized de facto control of the area in 2012 after a standoff. China calls the shoal Huangyan Dao and says the surrounding waters are part of its territory, while the Philippines says the feature lies within its exclusive economic zone. (aol.com) The Chinese military’s Southern Theater Command said naval and air units conducted what it called combat-readiness patrols in the shoal’s territorial sea and airspace. China’s coast guard also said it carried out law-enforcement patrols nearby on the same day. ### What had Manila said just before that? Gilberto Teodoro told reporters and broadcasters on May 30 and May 31 that the Philippines remained under a “severe threat” from China’s actions in the South China Sea. (aol.com) In an interview with Channel NewsAsia on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, he defended joint exercises with allies and said Chinese “expansionism” was the source of the tensions. Teodoro also said countries could not neglect their own defense and backed higher military spending by allies. In a separate Bloomberg interview published May 31, he said the Philippines was seeking deeper military ties with a network of U.S. partners to strengthen deterrence. ### What happened near the shoal before China’s patrol? Philippine and U.S. forces completed a joint maritime exercise from May 26 to May 30 near Scarborough Shoal, according to the U.S. (channelnewsasia.com) Naval Institute. The drill included visit-board-search-and-seizure training and marked the third such joint patrol this year, according to reports citing the exercise. (youtube.com) U.S. Naval Institute reporting said the patrol was the first time a U.S. Coast Guard cutter joined Philippine forces near the shoal. That deployment came as Manila voiced concern over possible Chinese construction activity in the area. ### Where does Vietnam fit into this? Vietnam and the Philippines said on June 1 they had elevated relations to an enhanced strategic partnership during Vietnamese leader To Lam’s visit to Manila. (news.usni.org) Bloomberg reported the two countries were considering more joint military activities, stronger maritime cooperation and more work on disaster readiness, citing Teodoro. The Philippine government said the upgrade was intended to deepen cooperation on growth, innovation and regional peace and stability. Vietnam’s state-backed outlets published the joint statement issued by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and To Lam on June 1. ### What comes next to watch? ASEAN and China are still negotiating a South China Sea code of conduct, and Philippine officials have said Beijing remains the main obstacle to completing it, according to other regional reporting. (bloomberg.com) In the nearer term, the next concrete marker is whether Manila, Hanoi and their defense establishments move from the June 1 partnership upgrade to joint military activities and expanded maritime coordination. (pco.gov.ph)