China conducts military patrol in South China Sea, warns Philippines

FILE PHOTO. Chinese coast guard (back) conducts patrol missions in the waters near Huangyan Island in the South China Sea on September 20, 2023. - Photo: VCG

BEIJING: China's military said it had conducted a patrol in the South China Sea on Friday (March 28), the day US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth reaffirmed Washington's commitment to Manila, which disputes some of Beijing's claims in the waterway.

A spokesman for the Southern Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army said on Saturday that the Philippines frequently enlisted foreign countries to organise "joint patrols" and "disseminated illegal claims" in the region, destabilising the area.