Chinese navy patrols South China Sea

30/4/2025 12:15

China's navy conducted a patrol in the South China Sea on Tuesday, saying that the Philippines has been creating "disturbances", as the Filipino and U.S. air forces conducted their own joint mission above the disputed waterway.



China, which claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, has been involved in an increasingly tense stand-off with the Philippines in the waters there, as both seek to assert their sovereignty claims.



More than 14,000 Filipino and U.S. soldiers are participating in joint exercises which run from April 21 through May 9 for a "full battle test" in the face of shared regional security concerns. China has said the drills are provocative.



In a statement late on Tuesday, the Southern Theatre Command of China's People's Liberation Army said its forces had that same day carried out "routine" patrols in the South China Sea, without giving an exact location.



The Philippine military, in its own statement late on Tuesday, said the Philippines and U.S. air forces had conducted a joint patrol over the South China Sea that day as part of ongoing defence cooperation.