China conducts combat readiness patrols around Scarborough Shoal in South China Sea

Oct 30, 2026

On October 30, 2026, China's military and coast guard conducted combat readiness and law-enforcement patrols around Scarborough Shoal, framing them as countermeasures to Philippine provocations. The maneuvers follow coast guard drills at Second Thomas and Sabina shoals and escalating rhetoric between Beijing and Manila over grounded vessels and ASEAN meeting participation. Meanwhile, Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles warned in Cebu that China's massive military buildup creates pressure in Southeast Asia, prompting the 'Squad' defense coalition to pledge deeper security coordination.

Chinese patrols around Scarborough Shoal

▪The People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command stated its combat readiness patrols around Scarborough Shoal were a necessary countermeasure to Philippine rights-violation and provocative acts.
▪The People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command announced that it strengthened its patrols around Scarborough Shoal during October 2026.
▪The China Coast Guard conducted law-enforcement patrols in the waters around Scarborough Shoal on October 30, 2026.
▪The People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command conducted combat readiness patrols with naval and air forces around Scarborough Shoal on October 30, 2026.

China Coast Guard training exercises

▪A China Coast Guard flotilla conducted law-enforcement training featuring water cannons, drones, and optoelectronic evidence collection in waters around Second Thomas Shoal and Sabina Shoal.
▪China's state broadcaster CCTV reported that Chinese coastguard officers simulated boarding an illegal foreign fishing vessel, confiscating its gear and catch, and ordering it to leave.
▪China Coast Guard officer Lin Weicong stated that recent training around Renai Jiao and Xianbin Jiao improved preparedness to respond to foreign infringement.

Dispute at ASEAN defense meeting

▪At the ASEAN defense gathering in Cebu on October 29, 2026, Beijing accused an unnamed Philippine politician of obstructing its participation, while Manila stated China was given an opportunity to speak.
▪Beijing and Manila traded sharp remarks over China's decision to send a lower-level official to the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus in Cebu in October 2026.

Statements on BRP Sierra Madre disputes

▪Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro stated on October 23, 2026, that any attempt by China to forcibly tow away the grounded BRP Sierra Madre would constitute an act of war.
▪Chinese defence ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang responded on October 29, 2026, urging Manila to recognize reality and refrain from challenging Beijing's resolve to defend its territorial sovereignty.

Chinese actions against Gilberto Teodoro

▪Mainland Chinese authorities stepped up public criticism of Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro following his sanctioning in June 2026.
▪Mainland Chinese authorities placed Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro on a sanctions list in June 2026 over his positions on the South China Sea, Taiwan, and economic relations.

Squad security group meeting and commitments

▪Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles met on October 29, 2026, with representatives of the Squad security group, comprising Australia, Japan, the United States, and the Philippines.
▪Members of the Squad defense group committed to greater defense policy coordination and working closely together for collective security

Australian statements on China's military buildup

▪Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles stated that China is engaged in the biggest conventional military buildup that the world has seen since the end of the Second World War.
▪Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles stated on October 29, 2026, in Cebu that China's military buildup is creating a condition of pressure in Southeast Asia.

Australian responses to Chinese military expansion

▪Australia protested against China's test of a nuclear-capable missile in the South Pacific in July 2026, calling the launch destabilizing.
▪China's militarization of artificial islands in the South China Sea prompted Canberra and Washington to deepen defense cooperation with Southeast Asian countries.

Territorial claims and international arbitration ruling

▪An international arbitral tribunal ruled in 2016 that China's sweeping territorial claims in the South China Sea have no basis under international law, a decision Beijing rejects.
▪China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea via a nine-dash line on its maps cutting into exclusive economic zones of five Southeast Asian nations.