Chinese military drills in the South China Sea [WeChat capture from China's Southern Theater Command]

China has deployed its military and coast guard forces sequentially to the South China Sea and waters east of Taiwan, engaging in a "maritime show of force."

This move is seen as an escalation of pressure in response to joint drills between the United States and the Philippines, and maritime boundary delimitation consultations between Japan and the Philippines.

A spokesperson for the China Coast Guard, Zhang Lei, announced on his WeChat account on the 1st that a flotilla of Coast Guard vessels, including the Daishan, conducted law enforcement patrols in waters east of Taiwan on the same day.

Regarding these patrols, the spokesperson stated they were a measure to counter Japan and the Philippines' unilateral declaration to initiate maritime boundary delimitation negotiations east of Taiwan, which seriously infringes upon China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. He asserted that Japan and the Philippines must immediately cease all illegal activities that infringe upon China's sovereignty and rights and interests.

Earlier, Japan and the Philippines declared during their summit on the 28th of last month the commencement of official negotiations to determine the maritime boundaries of their respective Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) and continental shelves.

China has protested this, claiming that the negotiation area is connected to waters east of Taiwan and that the negotiations are illegal and invalid acts that infringe upon China's EEZ and continental shelf rights.

The spokesperson emphasized that the China Coast Guard will continue to strengthen its control over relevant waters and resolutely defend national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests through practical actions.

China considers Taiwan part of its territory and asserts jurisdiction over the waters east of Taiwan.

In response to China's strong protest against Japan and the Philippines' push for maritime boundary delimitation consultations, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, the Japanese government spokesperson, countered at a press conference on the same day, stating that it is not legally binding on any third party and presents no issues under international law.

He dismissed the maritime boundary delimitation consultations as merely establishing the rights and obligations of the parties involved, Japan and the Philippines.

He added that it would serve as an example of peaceful dispute resolution based on international law under the "Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)" initiative, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's diplomatic policy for the Indo-Pacific region.

Beyond the waters east of Taiwan, China also conducted a show of force involving its military and coast guard in the South China Sea the previous day.

The Southern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army announced on its official WeChat account the previous day that it had mobilized naval and air force assets for combat readiness patrols in the waters and airspace around Scarborough Shoal (known as Huangyan Dao in China and Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal in the Philippines).

The Southern Theater Command claimed that Huangyan Dao is China's inherent territory and stated that they are continuously strengthening patrols and vigilance in the area to effectively respond to all forms of infringement and provocative acts.

Footage released by the Southern Theater Command showed the deployment of Type 052D destroyers, Type 054A and Type 056A frigates, H-6K strategic bombers, and J-16 fighter jets.

The H-6K bombers were also spotted equipped with YJ-12 anti-ship missiles.

The China Coast Guard also announced on the same day that it conducted law enforcement patrols in the waters near Scarborough Shoal.

The Coast Guard emphasized that these actions were taken to safeguard national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.

These patrols are drawing particular attention as they followed recent joint drills conducted by the United States and the Philippines in the South China Sea.

According to the U.S. Seventh Fleet, the Philippine military and the U.S. Coast Guard conducted maritime cooperation activities in the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) from the 26th to the 30th of last month.

While the U.S. did not disclose the location of the drills, Philippine media reported that they took place near Scarborough Shoal.

Prior to this, the United States and the Philippines also conducted their annual joint exercise, "Balikatan," from April 20th to May 8th of last month.

More than 17,000 personnel participated in the drills, with troops also dispatched from Japan, Australia, New Zealand, France, and Canada.

The exercise areas included not only the northern regions of the Philippines facing the Taiwan Strait but also disputed areas of the South China Sea, leading to an assessment that the drills were heavily aimed at China.

Chinese military expert Zhang Junse told the state-run Global Times that with China having established a constant control system over Huangyan Dao, the Philippines' joint patrols hold more symbolic significance than substantive meaning.

He further criticized, stating that while the Philippines claims to uphold regional peace, it is in reality continuously drawing in external forces to support its own acts of infringement and provocation in the South China Sea. (Reporting assistance: Kim Ji-soo Correspondent)