Satellite images show that China has deployed two H-6 long-range bombers near the Scarborough Shoal to assert its sovereignty over this hotly contested atoll located in the South China Sea.
China did not announce the deployment. It was made ahead of the visit of the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, to the Philippines. The Philippines also claim the 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.
The Chinese defense ministry didn’t immediately answer questions about the size of the deployment or whether the timing coincided with Hegseth’s visit.
Requests for comments from officials of the Philippine National Security Council and the Military were not immediately responded to.
Hegseth, during a Friday visit to Manila, reaffirmed the “ironclad” commitment of the United States to its Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines. He said that China’s actions in the South China Sea made deterrence essential.
Maxar Technologies captured images of two aircraft on Monday, east of Scarborough Shoal (also known as “Huangyan Dao” in China).
Since 2012, Chinese coastguard vessels have frequently clashed with Philippine fishermen at the mouth of an atoll. China has attempted to block the atoll at various times since it took de facto control in 2012.
Last month, the Philippine Coast Guard accused the Chinese Navy of dangerous flight maneuvers near its shoreline.
Beijing has rejected the decision of an international arbitration tribunal at The Hague in 2016, which ruled that China’s claims lack legal basis.
Maxar confirmed in an email that the aircraft were H-6 Bombers and added that the “rainbow colours” near them were the result of satellite images processed to show fast-moving objects.
Regional security analysts, however, said that the timing of these flights was not likely to be an accident.
Peter Layton, of Australia’s Griffith Asia Institute, said that Beijing sent “a message that China has an advanced military.”
The second message of the bombers could be that you (the United States), can strike at long distances, just as we do. “This is not serendipity,” he said.
Regional military attachés say China has increased its deployments of H-6 Bombers in the South China Sea as its military presence has increased. This began with landings at improved runways on the disputed Paracel Islands in 2018.
The jet-powered H-6, based on an old Soviet design, has been modernized and can carry a variety of cruise missiles for anti-shipping and land attacks. Some are also capable of launching ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads.
The basic H-6 design, which dates back to 1950, is similar to that of the U.S. B-52. However, with modern weapons, improved engines, and onboard systems, this aircraft has become China’s main long-range bomber.
In December, the Pentagon’s report on China’s Military said that a stealthier aircraft was likely in development.
The Chinese Southern Theatre Command deployed the bombers in war games in October in and around Taiwan, which it claims as its territory. In late December, they were also at Scarborough as part of larger air and sea operations.
International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London-based think tank, says that the command, which covers the South China Sea, has two regiments.
Defense Ministry announced the drills in December, saying that they would “resolutely safeguard China’s national sovereignty and ensure peace in the South China Sea.”
Satellite images of patrols are rare. The Ministry posted pictures of aircraft flying above the shoal.
It is unknown at what altitude the H-6s flew near the shoal.
Taiwan’s government rejects China’s claim of sovereignty, saying that only the island’s citizens can decide its future.
