China deploys Anti-Ship Bomber, Frigates to Disputed Scarborough Shoal Amid Rising Tensions
SCARBOROUGH SHOAL – China has increased its military presence around Scarborough Shoal, deploying a H-6 bomber equipped for anti-ship warfare alongside two Type 054A frigates, according to images released by the Southern Theatre Command. This move escalates tensions with the Philippines, which claims the shoal as Bajo de Masinloc and asserts its rights within its exclusive economic zone.
The deployment follows a series of escalating encounters between chinese and Philippine vessels around the hotly contested maritime feature, known to China as huangyan Island. These incidents include frequent patrols by china Coast Guard and China Maritime Militia vessels, aerial interceptions of Philippine reconnaissance patrols, and aggressive maneuvering against a Philippine Navy patrol ship. Wednesday also saw a patrol from Chinese cutters at the shoal.
Tensions recently peaked following a collision in August between the People’s Liberation Army Navy destroyer Guilin (164) and China Coast guard Jiangdao-class cutter 3104. Manila has responded by sending escorted fishing fleets under its Kadiwa initiative, designed to support Filipino fishermen facing coercive tactics from Chinese forces. Last month, Chinese cutters intercepted numerous philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries and aquatic Resources vessels, resulting in injury to a Filipino sailor during one interdiction attempt.
Scarborough Shoal has been a flashpoint in the long-running territorial dispute between Beijing and Manila. China claims the shoal under its expansive Ten-Dash Line, asserting sovereign territory, while the Philippines maintains it lies within its 120 nautical mile exclusive economic zone west of Luzon. Beijing has maintained a near-constant presence at Scarborough as a 2012 incident.
