China holds ‘bomber patrol’ over SCS to counter Philippines, US and Japan maritime drills

Beijing: The Chinese military for the first time conducted a “bomber formation patrol” with its fighter jets over the disputed South China Sea on Sunday as a “warning” to the Philippines after its navy conducted joint patrols with the US and Japan.

China, which claims most of the South China Sea, is locked in an intractable maritime dispute with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, which have counterclaims over the area that is home to busy regional and international trade routes.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theatre Command announced that it had conducted a bomber formation patrol amid the Philippines’ so-called “joint patrols” with external forces -- the first time it has announced such a move, according to the state-run Global Times.

The two-day maritime exercise by the US, Japan and the Philippines ran from Friday to Saturday.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Southern Theatre Command, Senior Colonel Tian Junli, said the Philippines has frequently colluded with external forces to carry out so-called “joint patrols,” undermining regional peace and stability.

“We solemnly warn the Philippine side to immediately stop provoking incidents and escalating tensions,” he said.

The theatre command forces maintain a high level of alert at all times, resolutely safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and peace and stability in the South China Sea region, Tian said.

Any attempt to infringe on the sovereignty and stir up trouble will never succeed, he added. According to military affairs experts, the bomber formation is one of the PLA’s diversified

strike methods.