China's Ministry of National Defense released footage on September 2 showing People's Liberation Army warplanes and warships circling a reef in the South China Sea that Taiwan, China and the Philippines all claim as their own, prompting Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue a same day rebuke calling the maneuver dangerous, irresponsible and highly provocative.
One Reef, Three Names, Three Claims
The reef at the center of the dispute sits in the Zhongsha Islands (中沙群島), known internationally as the Macclesfield Bank area of the South China Sea. Taiwan has long claimed sovereignty over it under the name Minzhu Reef (民主礁), while China calls it Huangyan Dao (黃岩島) and the Philippines calls it Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal, the same feature more widely known in English as Scarborough Shoal. The waters around it have a violent recent history. In August last year, a Chinese coast guard vessel chasing a Philippine coast guard ship at high speed near the reef instead collided with a Chinese navy destroyer, an accident that killed two Chinese personnel. The following month, China's State Council announced plans to designate a "Huangyan Dao National Nature Reserve" covering the area, a move that drew protests from both Taipei and Manila.
Armed Jets Warn Philippine Aircraft On Camera
China's Defense Ministry released video on the morning of September 2 showing fighter jets and warships circling the contested waters, with armed jets shown issuing warnings to two Philippine aircraft in both Chinese and English. According to the ministry, the PLA's Southern Theater Command organized naval and air forces that day to carry out what it termed a "combat readiness patrol" across the territorial waters, airspace and surrounding sea and air space of Huangyan Dao. The ministry added that since August, Southern Theater Command forces have steadily intensified patrols and vigilance around the reef, tightening control over the surrounding sea and airspace in what it described as a forceful and effective response to "rights infringing and provocative" behavior by other claimants.
Taiwan's Foreign Ministry Calls The Patrol Dangerous And Provocative
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded that evening, saying the PLA's so called combat readiness patrol around Minzhu Reef and its surrounding waters and airspace had attempted to use dangerous flight maneuvers to interfere with the normal activity of foreign aircraft. The ministry said it was issuing its strongest condemnation of what it called unsafe, irresponsible and highly provocative conduct, and reiterated that Taiwan consistently opposes unilateral, illegal expansions of power, gray zone coercion, militarized deployments and any other actions that undermine peace in the South China Sea, regardless of which party is responsible.
A Call For International Law And A Peaceful Resolution
The ministry called on Beijing to abide by international law and the principle of resolving disputes peacefully, arguing that doing so would meet the shared expectations of regional countries for peace and stability. It also reaffirmed that Taiwan will keep working with like minded countries and regional partners to help safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea, freedom of navigation and overflight, and a free, open, peaceful and stable international order more broadly.
The Backdrop, A Code Of Conduct Meeting And Dueling Accusations
The patrol comes against a tense diplomatic backdrop. In late August, China and member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations met in the Philippines to advance negotiations over a long stalled Code of Conduct for the South China Sea. During that same window, the PLA's Southern Theater Command accused three Philippine aircraft of illegally entering Huangyan Dao's airspace on August 21 without Beijing's approval. Southern Theater Command Air Force spokesperson Li Jianjian said at the time that the Philippine actions had severely violated Chinese sovereignty and could easily trigger misunderstanding or miscalculation, warning Manila to immediately halt what he called its infringing and provocative behavior. （Related： Quiet Diplomacy: How Taiwan and the Philippines Are Countering China's Gray Zone Tactics ｜ Latest ）
