China conducts patrols around Scarborough Shoal in disputed South China Sea

BEIJING, June 30 – China’s military and coast guard said on Tuesday they had carried out patrols in the waters around Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, as part of safeguarding Beijing’s territorial claims to the area. The Southern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army said its naval and air forces conducted combat-readiness patrols in the territorial waters and airspace around the shoal. Scarborough Shoal, which Beijing calls “Huangyan Dao”, is claimed by both China and the Philippines and is one of Asia’s most disputed maritime sites. In a separate statement, the China Coast Guard (CCG) later said…