China carries out combat patrols near Scarborough Shoal following US-Philippines exercises

China’s military and coast guard said they carried out patrols near disputed waters in the ?South China Sea on Sunday, a day after the Philippines said it remained under threat from Beijing despite a recent easing in U.S.-China tensions. Philippine and U.S. forces held a five-day maritime exercise in the same waters last week near the Scarborough Shoal, the third such drill this year, to ?strengthen interoperability and maritime security, the Philippine military said on Sunday. Scarborough Shoal, in waters that Manila calls the West ?Philippine Sea, is one of Asia’s most contested maritime features and has become a frequent…