The Chinese military conducted a joint sea and air patrol around the Scarborough Shoal on Wednesday amid continuing tensions with the Philippines in the South China Sea. The Southern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army said the patrol activities were “carried out in accordance with the law”.

The move was a direct response to the Philippines’ enactment of two new laws aimed at strengthening the country’s own maritime claims.

China has published baselines for a contested shoal in the South China Sea it had seized from the Philippines, a move that’s likely to increase tensions over overlapping territorial claims

China firmly opposes the Philippines' Maritime Zones Act, which it says "severely infringes on" the its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Sunday in a statement.

The move from Beijing comes just a day after the Philippines signed two laws defining the country’s maritime zones

BEIJING >> China rejected Philippine maritime claims on Sunday, saying new legislation “severely infringes on” Beijing’s territorial sovereignty and rights in the South China Sea, and vowing to protect its own interests.

China has published baselines for a contested shoal in the South China Sea it had seized from the Philippines, a move that's likely to increase tensions over overlapping territorial claims. The Foreign Ministry on Sunday posted online geographic coordinates for the baselines around Scarborough Shoal.