On Monday night, the People’s Liberation Army Navy aircraft carrier CNS Shandong (17) sailed out of the Philippine Sea back into the South China Sea, Japan’s Joint Staff Office (JSO) announced on Tuesday.

In recent months, China has deployed navy, coast guard and so-called maritime militia forces – allegedly Chinese fishing vessels – in a bid to bar the Philippines from a trio of strategically important reefs and islands in the South China Sea.

The Philippine military has opened two weeks of combat drills that will include seizing an island in the disputed South China Sea and likely be frowned upon by China.

China’s militarization of the South China Sea (SCS) has established a powerful anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) network across the region, positioning it to delay or block U.S. intervention in a Taiwan contingency.

China has yet to respond to the call, which includes payment for two damaged boats and the return of rifles seized during the June 17 stand-off The Philippine military chief has reiterated calls for Beijing to compensate for damages and return rifles seized during a violent confrontation in the disputed South China Sea that left a Filipino sailor