As China and the Philippines clash day after day over territorial claims in the South China Sea, China on Aug. 1, its Army Day, conducted large-scale joint navy-air force drills at Scarborough Shoal (Chinese name Huangyan Dao) and released related footage. China's state-run media launched sharp criticism aimed at the Philippines and the United States, saying, "If they keep causing trouble in the South China Sea, they should be prepared for China's tough response."
According to China Central Television (CCTV) on the 3rd, the People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command said it conducted joint navy-air force drills on Aug. 1 in the territorial waters and airspace of Huangyan Dao and the surrounding sea and air areas. The training focused on combat-ready courses such as reconnaissance and early warning, deterrent patrols, sea-air control, and joint strikes. The Southern Theater Command took the unusual step of releasing training footage on its official social media, and according to the video, a formation of bombers and the navy ships Zanzhang and Qilianshan were deployed to the training area, while Type 071 landing ships and hovercraft carried out operations.
On the same day, China's coast guard also carried out law enforcement drills in waters near the shoal, including boarding and arrest of vessels, intruder interdiction, and forcible towing. China's Ministry of Natural Resources, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, China Coast Guard, and the Hainan provincial government then announced regulations establishing a patrol regime in nearby waters and cracking down on various illegal activities. The measures also included protecting the marine ecosystem such as coral reefs and banning illegal fishing. The state-run Global Times interpreted it as, "What China is protecting is not only its own territory but also the South China Sea, the shared marine ecological environment of humanity."
The joint drill is seen as a tit-for-tat response to the Philippines' announcement in late July that it would unilaterally set a "baseline" of territorial waters around the shoal. At the time, China protested that the area is its inherent territory and that the move violates international law and is null and void, and the two countries have maintained tensions since. In particular, the United States, citing its mutual defense treaty with the Philippines, is supporting the Philippines while emphasizing freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, and China is condemning this as interference by an extra-regional power.
According to Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao, military experts interpreted the joint navy-air force exercise by China as not a simple patrol but an effort to showcase its capability for amphibious operations and island recapture. In particular, the simultaneous deployment of landing ships, hovercraft, and long-range anti-ship missiles was analyzed as an intention to demonstrate real-world response capability in a contingency. They interpreted the decision to even release on-site footage of the joint drill as meant to send a clear warning message not only to the Philippines but also to the United States.
China's state-run media are also ramping up their offensive. The state-run Global Times argued in an editorial on the night of the 2nd that the Aug. 1 joint drill was "not a simple military action but a strategic declaration," asserting that "Huangyan Dao is China's inherent territory." The editorial criticized the Philippines' setting of a territorial sea baseline as "like a neighbor walking into our house, drawing a line with chalk, and claiming the property inside as their own." It went on to say that the Philippines, in collusion with the United States, is testing China's "red line," and warned, "If they keep causing trouble in the South China Sea, they should be prepared for China's tough response, and both justice and strength will be on China's side."
The PLA Daily likewise said in a commentary the same day that some Philippine politicians "are ignoring the prevailing trend, frequently colluding with extra-regional forces, and becoming pawns in great-power competition," urging them to "realize their mistakes as soon as possible, keep the various promises made to China, and work to stabilize bilateral relations."