The aerial view of China's Huangyan Dao Photo: Courtesy of South China Institute of Environmental Sciences under China Ministry of Ecology and Environment

China Coast Guard (CCG) conducted law enforcement patrols on Thursday in the territorial waters and surrounding areas of China's Huangyan Dao in the South China Sea. This rights protection patrol was carried out by the CCG in accordance with the law, according to a statement released by the CCG on Thursday.

The Chinese military on Wednesday conducted combat readiness patrols over the territorial waters and airspace of China's Huangyan Dao and surrounding areas. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command said the latest move, involving naval and air forces, was a lawful patrol activity.

The patrols came after China released the baselines of the territorial sea adjacent to Huangyan Dao on Sunday.

"The patrols by the China Coast Guard and Chinese military demonstrate China's position of sovereignty in the maritime area through concrete actions," Chen Xiangmiao, director of the World Navy Research Center at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times on Thursday.

These patrols were also intended to uphold maritime order in the region, Chen said, noting that they aimed to regulate the management of the waters surrounding Huangyan Dao, signaling to the Philippines and the US that China would take corresponding law enforcement actions.

"Through maritime patrols, China can effectively demonstrate and exercise its rights, thereby upholding its legitimate interests in the relevant waters," Chen said.

Ding Duo, a deputy director of the Institute of Maritime Law and Policy at China's National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times on Thursday that these patrols could further deter the provocative actions of the Philippines, indicating that China is taking the initiative in maritime rights protection.

According to video footage obtained by the Global Times on Monday, CCG vessels recently conducted patrol enforcement exercises in formation in the waters of Huangyan Dao. The video clip showed that the drill involved multiple vessels, including large thousand ton-class patrol ships and smaller, more maneuverable hundred ton-class vessels.

"China's determination to uphold its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights will not change," Ding said.

According to the Financial Times on Sunday, the spokesperson for the Armed Forces of the Philippines stated that the military is considering the procurement of the "Typhon" intermediate-range missile launch system. 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday the Philippines, by bringing in this offensive strategic weapon, is enabling a country outside the region to fuel tensions and antagonism in this region and incite geopolitical confrontation and arms race. Such a move is provocative and dangerous, and it is an extremely irresponsible choice to its own people and people of all Southeast Asian countries, to history, and to regional security.  

"What the region needs is peace and prosperity, not the missile system or confrontation. We once again urge the Philippines to heed the call from regional countries and their peoples, correct its wrongdoings as soon as possible, quickly pull out the Typhon missile system as publicly pledged, and stop going further down the wrong path," Lin said.