China's coast guard and military said that they carried out patrols in the waters surrounding the disputed Scarborough Shoal, in the busy South China Sea waterway.

In a press release, the coast guard said that it has increased law enforcement patrols since the start of August. It also pledged to "protect China's maritime rights and sovereignty".

The Southern Theatre Command released a statement saying that China had sent its air and naval forces to conduct "combat readiness patrols" in the airspace and waters surrounding the atoll.

Emails sent to the Philippine Embassy in Beijing about these statements were not answered immediately.

This month, a Chinese coast guard ship was damaged in a collision near the Scarborough Shoal with a Chinese navy vessel. It was the first crash known between Chinese ships in that area.

China claims nearly the entire South China Sea despite claims from Brunei and Malaysia. The Philippines, Vietnam, and the Philippines also have overlapping claims. (Reporting and editing by Clarence Fernandez; Beijing Newsroom)

(source: Reuters)