The operations were announced by China’s military and maritime authorities as regional defense leaders gathered in Singapore for the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s leading security forum, where concerns over maritime disputes and regional stability featured prominently.

The People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theatre Command said naval and air units carried out combat-readiness patrols in what it described as the territorial waters and airspace surrounding Scarborough Shoal, one of the most contested features in the South China Sea.

In a statement published on the social media platform WeChat, the command said the patrols were intended to counter what it called rights violations and provocative activities in the area.

China’s coast guard separately confirmed that it had undertaken law-enforcement patrols near the shoal and said it had handled vessels engaged in what it described as illegal activities during the month. The agency did not provide additional details regarding the incidents.

The Philippine Embassy in Beijing did not immediately comment on the patrols.

The Chinese operations followed remarks by Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, who told Reuters on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue that the Philippines remained under a “severe threat” from China both territorially and politically.

Teodoro said Manila had little choice but to remain resilient and continue resisting what he described as Chinese aggression, despite a recent easing of tensions between Washington and Beijing following talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this month.

Scarborough Shoal has become a recurring flashpoint in the increasingly tense maritime dispute between China and the Philippines. The area is rich in fishing resources and occupies a strategically important position in the South China Sea.

Confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels have intensified in recent years, with several incidents involving collisions, water-cannon encounters and injuries to personnel.

China claims sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea through its so-called “nine-dash line,” a sweeping claim that overlaps with the exclusive economic zones claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.

The dispute has remained one of Asia’s most sensitive geopolitical issues despite repeated diplomatic efforts to ease tensions.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea had no legal basis under international law. Beijing rejected the ruling and has continued to assert its claims across the strategic waterway.

The latest patrols underscore the persistence of territorial disputes in the region even as major powers seek to stabilize broader diplomatic relations.

The Philippine Coast Guard said it deployed aircraft on Wednesday to monitor the Chinese research ship Xiang Yang Hong 33 near Iroquois Reef in the Spratly Islands, where it observed the vessel launching a service boat toward the reef.The coast guard said the operation “confirmed ongoing unauthorized marine scientific research activities” within waters over which the Philippines claims sovereign rights and jurisdiction.

Iroquois Reef lies at the southern edge of Reed Bank, an area believed to contain substantial natural gas and oil reserves and long viewed as strategically significant for Manila’s energy security.

During the aerial patrol, Philippine authorities also reported spotting 41 vessels identified as part of China’s “maritime militia” anchored near Iroquois Reef and around Thitu Island, a Philippine-controlled outpost in the Spratlys inhabited by about 400 civilians and home to a recently established coast guard station.“The Philippines has not granted such consent to the People’s Republic of China for any marine scientific research activities in these waters,” the coast guard said in a statement.

It added that the presence of the research vessel alongside the concentration of Chinese maritime militia ships represented “a serious infringement on Philippine sovereign rights and maritime jurisdiction.”China’s embassy in Manila defended the activities, reiterating Beijing’s longstanding claim of “historic rights” over much of the South China Sea and asserting that the islands and reefs concerned were Chinese territory.

The embassy said Chinese research vessels had carried out their missions “in accordance with international law.”The Xiang Yang Hong 33, a research vessel capable of supporting deep-sea submersible operations, departed China more than three weeks ago and has since been tracked near several Philippine-claimed features in the Spratly chain, including Sabina Shoal and Second Thomas Shoal, both recurring flashpoints between the two countries.

Tensions between Beijing and Manila have intensified in recent years as China expanded coast guard, naval and maritime militia deployments across the contested waterway, where competing territorial claims overlap with key shipping lanes and potentially resource-rich seabeds.

China claims nearly the entire South China Sea despite a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that found Beijing’s sweeping claims had no legal basis under international law. China has rejected the ruling.

Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said the crew members, who had been aboard the MV Touska, were flown into Pakistan overnight and would be handed over to Iranian authorities later in the day.

The vessel was seized by U.S. forces in the Gulf of Oman after it refused orders to alter its course during heightened maritime tensions linked to the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz.

Washington has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports since last month, part of broader measures amid escalating conflict with Tehran.A spokesperson for the United States Central Command said earlier that the crew had been repatriated to Pakistan, while Iranian media reported that six crew members had already been released and returned to Iran last week.

Andrabi said the vessel would also be moved to Pakistani territorial waters for repairs before being returned, with coordination involving both U.S. and Iranian authorities. He added that Islamabad welcomed the step and would continue efforts to facilitate dialogue.

The transfer comes as Pakistan positions itself as a mediator between Washington and Tehran. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Sunday to discuss regional developments and diplomatic efforts.

Pakistan has hosted discussions between the two sides since February, though recent attempts at negotiations have not yielded a breakthrough. Tensions have remained high, particularly over control of the Strait of Hormuz, where the U.S. has announced plans to escort commercial vessels in an operation it describes as humanitarian.