China said it carried out naval and air military exercises on Saturday near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, stepping up its response after a series of recent confrontations involving its coastguard.
Beijing and Manila both claim sovereignty over the resource-rich coral atoll, which is controlled by China.
In recent days, China had limited its presence near the shoal to coastguard patrols. On Saturday, however, it conducted military drills involving naval and air forces, according to a spokesperson for the Chinese military’s Southern Theatre Command.
The spokesperson said the operation was necessary in response to the actions of certain countries in the region that, he said, "were undermining peace and stability".
State broadcaster CCTV aired footage showing two warships on patrol at sea and an aircraft taking off from an airport, accompanied by patriotic pop music.
China claims almost all of the islands and reefs in the South China Sea on historical grounds, putting it at odds with several neighbouring countries, including the Philippines and Vietnam.
In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal ruled that China’s sweeping claims had no legal basis.
Incidents involving Chinese and Philippine vessels occur regularly around disputed features in the South China Sea.
