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China has long used its coast guard to assert its sovereignty in the South China Sea.
While Chinese troops have deployed near Scarborough Shoal in the past, one analyst told AFP Wednesday’s action showed they were “becoming more aggressive and more powerful”.
“This is meant to intimidate,” said Jay Batongbacal, director of the Manila Institute for Maritime Affairs and the Law of the Sea.
He added: “It was certainly intended to send a message, a show of force.”
‘Increased tensions’
Chinese and Philippine ships have been involved in a series of escalating confrontations in the South China Sea in recent months, including a clash over a Manila warship that had been stranded for years on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands.
One of the most serious incidents occurred in June when Chinese crew Wielding weapons such as knives and axes Aboard a Philippine Navy vessel located near a strategic reef.
The Philippine military said a Filipino sailor lost his thumb in the conflict, and the Beijing Coast Guard also confiscated or destroyed Philippine guns and other equipment.
Beijing has blamed Manila for the escalation and insisted its actions were legal and proportionate to protect its claims.
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