Chinese forces hold ‘combat readiness patrol’ near Scarborough Shoal

CHINESE forces carried out a “combat readiness patrol” around the disputed Scarborough Shoal over the weekend, its Southern Theater Command said in a statement published by Chinese state-run media on Monday, days after the Philippines and US militaries held joint drills there.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) deployed a YJ-12 heavy bomber armed with anti-ship missiles and a Type 055 destroyer, along with military jets and other warships, China Military Online reported.

“The theater command has continuously strengthened naval and air patrols in the waters and airspace around the island, resolutely countering provocations and infringements by individual countries in the region,” it said.

Scarborough, known as Panatag in the Philippines and Huangyan Dao in China, is claimed by both nations. Beijing has effectively controlled access to the feature since 2012, barring Filipino fishermen from accessing the resource-rich region.

“After H-6K bombers and fighter jets from the PLA Southern Theater Command flew into the airspace over China’s Huangyan Dao in formation, they conducted a patrol toward the southeastern sector,” the report said.

It added that the Philippines’ designating parts of Scarborough as a “military exercise zone” infringes on China’s sovereignty, as Beijing claims most of the South China Sea based on a “nine-dash line” map. A United Nations-backed arbitral tribunal ruled in 2016 that China’s claim is illegal, a decision China has rejected.

“By organizing military aircraft to pass through the area designated by the Philippines, the PLA Southern Theater Command demonstrated China’s effective jurisdiction over the territorial waters and airspace of Huangyan Dao,” the report said.

The patrol followed the Philippines and the US’ joint naval exercises at Scarborough last week, the first such exercise between the close allies this year as both seek to deepen their ties amid increasing Chinese assertiveness in the strategic waterway, where trillions of dollars worth of trade passes through annually.

In recent years, Chinese vessels have increasingly confronted Philippine ships near disputed features prompting Manila to seek joint patrols and exercises with allies.

CHINA’S ‘DISINFORMATION’ CAMPAIGN
Meanwhile, a Philippine senator on Monday called for a deeper probe into alleged Chinese disinformation operations in the Philippines, warning that coordinated influence campaigns by Beijing threaten national security.

“This is a national security issue. That is why there must be further investigation into this coordinated effort to influence and interfere in our domestic affairs,” Senator Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel told a forum by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines on Monday.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to a Viber message seeking comment.

She added that government inquiry must determine the scope of Beijing’s disinformation operation in the country.

“We need to know whether, beyond conventional public relations, this project crossed the line into manufacturing and manipulating Filipino public opinion using the Chinese government’s lies,” Ms. Hontiveros said.

She added that there is also a need to identify and hold accountable individuals spreading Chinese propaganda on social media.

“It is time to expose the individuals behind this coordinated disinformation machinery. It is time to identify who, exactly, is amplifying and circulating the Chinese government’s fabrications,” the senator said. “And it is time to hold accountable those who betray our country.”

She cited findings from a Senate hearing where a Makati-based public relations (PR) firm was found to be colluding with the Chinese Embassy in Manila to undertake PR work.

“We need to know whether, beyond conventional public relations, this project crossed the line into manufacturing and manipulating Filipino public opinion using the Chinese government’s lies,” she added.

Authorities have claimed that the Chinese government has been conducting a massive disinformation campaign in the Philippines using social media and public relations efforts to undermine Manila’s stance on the South China Sea dispute.

“We see posts that downplay, dismiss, or outright deny the harassment and intimidation experienced by our own Navy, Coast Guard, and fisherfolk. We see a growing number of social media pages relentlessly amplifying Chinese government propaganda,” Ms. Hontiveros added.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila has also been in a heated verbal exchange with Philippine politicians and security officials who have taken a more vocal stance in asserting the country’s maritime claims.

This had prompted calls from several lawmakers to declare the Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines as persona non grata.

Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro said that Congress can pursue its agenda as it sees fit, noting the President and the Foreign Affairs department opt to settle issues through dialogue.

“They can pursue them if that is what they see fits. But as for the President, we know his policy and the Department of Foreign Affairs is through dialogue and diplomacy for these kinds of issues with China,” she told a news briefing, in Filipino. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio and Adrian H. Halili