The PLA Southern Theater Command patrolled Scarborough Shoal, calling it a necessary countermeasure to Philippine provocations.
The PLA Southern Theater Command said on the afternoon of 30 October, via its WeChat account and CCTV, that its naval and air forces conducted combat-readiness patrols in the territorial sea and airspace of Huangyan Dao (Scarborough Shoal) and surrounding areas, calling it "a necessary countermeasure to the Philippines' rights-violation and provocative acts" and saying it has stepped up patrols and control around the shoal since October. China's defence ministry website shows a similar patrol notice on 30 September without the countermeasure wording; on 5 October the command said a Philippine C-208 aircraft had entered the shoal's airspace without approval on 3 October. Reuters reported the statement and said the Philippine embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond. ABS-CBN reported on 29 October that Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela said a Chinese research-support vessel had stayed near the shoal since 3 October amid suspicions of illegal marine scientific research, and that a patrol flight that day spotted one PLA Navy ship, three China Coast Guard vessels and five maritime militia vessels, a number he described as not unusual.
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