BEIJING, China — China’s military and coast guard conducted patrols near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on Sunday, state-linked forces said, in a move that came a day after the Philippine defense chief warned of continued security threats from Beijing despite easing US-China tensions.

Scarborough Shoal, a disputed maritime feature in Asia, remains a frequent flashpoint between China and the Philippines over sovereignty and fishing rights.

The People’s Liberation Army Southern Theatre Command said its naval and air units carried out “combat readiness patrols” in what it described as the “territorial sea and airspace” of the shoal and surrounding areas.

“Such patrols serve as an effective countermeasure to cope with all sorts of rights violation and provocative acts,” the command said in a statement posted on WeChat.

China’s coast guard separately said it conducted law enforcement patrols near the shoal and claimed it had handled vessels involved in “illegal rights-violation activities” since earlier this month, without providing further details.

The Philippine Embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The patrols took place as defense ministers and security officials from across the Asia-Pacific gathered in Singapore for the Shangri-La Dialogue, a major regional security forum.

On the sidelines of the summit, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said the country remains under “severe threat” from China, both territorially and politically, despite a recent thaw in US-China relations following talks between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this month.

“We have no choice but really to be resilient and to stand up against Chinese aggression,” Teodoro said.

The Philippines and China have been involved in repeated maritime confrontations in the South China Sea in recent years, including vessel collisions and reported injuries among personnel.

China continues to assert sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea through its “nine-dash line” map, which overlaps with the exclusive economic zones of the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

The territorial disputes over islands and maritime features have persisted for decades. Taiwan also maintains similar claims in the contested waters.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China’s sweeping claims had no legal basis under international law, a ruling that Beijing does not recognize.—Reuters