China Holds Military Drills Near Scarborough Shoal as Tensions Rise

China ran joint naval and air drills near the contested Scarborough Shoal on 1 August 2026.

The exercises came days after the Philippines moved to formally claim the feature through the United Nations. China's Southern Theater Command confirmed the training exercise. On the same day, Beijing released new rules for the area it calls the Huangyan Dao National Nature Reserve, banning fishing, mining, and the collection of coral and giant clams without authorization.

The moves came after Manila submitted its extended seabed rights proposal to the UN. The proposal would extend Philippine jurisdiction to include the disputed shoal. China claims nearly all of the South China Sea and has rejected the bid.

The Scarborough Shoal sits about 230 kilometers from the Philippine island of Luzon, well within that country's 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.