Janurary 4, 2024

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) held a routine patrol in the South China Sea from Wednesday to Thursday in a move to safeguard national sovereign security and maritime rights and interests amid a concurrent US-Philippines joint patrol and Manila's repeated attempts to permanently occupy Chinese reefs in the region.  

China's legitimate and professional restriction measures against the Philippines' scheme have been restrained, but the Southeast Asian country's recurring provocations and the involvement of the US military could force China to enhance the intensity of its military and law enforcement measures, as the PLA's latest operation drew a red line, served as a deterrence and could reduce the risk of misjudgment and accidents, experts said.

The PLA Southern Theater Command organized naval and air forces to conduct a routine patrol in the South China Sea from Wednesday to Thursday, the PLA Southern Theater Command said in a press release on Wednesday.

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