BEIJING, March 29 — China conducted naval, air and coast guard patrols around the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea today, its military and Coast Guard said.

The shoal is in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone but China also claims it as part of its territory.

The patrols came after Beijing and Manila restarted high-level talks last week over the disputed waters and discussed oil and gas cooperation in the ⁠area.

The talks were ⁠also the first broader ⁠discussion on bilateral relations since ⁠March ⁠2023, aimed at confidence building among others, the Philippine foreign ministry said ⁠yesterday.

Recent maritime confrontations have heightened tensions, with Manila accusing Beijing of “dangerous manoeuvres” and deploying water cannon to interfere with its resupply missions in contested ⁠areas.

“Such patrols serve as an effective countermeasure to cope with all sorts of ⁠rights-violation and provocative acts,” the Chinese military’s ⁠Southern ⁠Theatre Command said in a statement today.

The Philippine embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment. — Reuters