N環球 
Day after Xi returns from U.S. visit, China stages naval-air drills around Scarborough Shoal
China's Southern Theater Command announced a joint naval-air drill in the waters and airspace around Scarborough Shoal on Sunday, with the coast guard rehearsing boarding inspections and interdiction; the Philippine Embassy in Beijing did not respond to comment requests.
Why it matters
The drill comes the day after Xi Jinping returned from his U.S. state visit, and at a moment when China-Philippine friction in the South China Sea is rising — a highly sensitive timing.
Full report
China's People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command announced on Sunday (Sept. 27) via WeChat that it had held a joint naval and air training exercise in the waters and airspace around Scarborough Shoal (known in China as Huangyan Dao, and in the Philippines as Bajo de Masinloc). The statement described the exercise as a necessary action against "individual countries" undermining regional peace and stability, aimed at testing and enhancing real combat capabilities to safeguard territorial sovereignty and maritime rights.
China Coast Guard spokesperson Jiang Lue said in a separate WeChat statement that the coast guard conducted drills on Sunday focused on boarding and inspection, intrusion interdiction and forced towing.
The Chinese Coast Guard said the Philippines had violated agreements on Sept. 24 by sending supply vessels to Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin / Ren'ai Jiao), prompting tracking, monitoring and warnings at the scene. Separately, according to Yonhap News Agency, the Guangdong Maritime Safety Administration has issued navigation warnings for live-fire drills in parts of the South China Sea on Sept. 28 and 30.
Reuters reported that the Philippine Embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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