China PLA, Coast Guard patrol around Huangyan Dao

China

China PLA, Coast Guard patrol around Huangyan Dao

2026-02-28 20:45 Last Updated At：21:37

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command and China Coast Guard said in two separate statements that their forces conducted patrols in the territorial sea and airspace of China's Huangyan Dao and its surrounding areas on Saturday.

The PLA Southern Theater Command said in an online statement that its naval and air units on Saturday conducted readiness patrols in the territorial sea and airspace of China's Huangyan Dao and its surrounding areas.

It said that since February, its naval and air units have strengthened maritime and air patrols in the territorial waters and airspace of Huangyan Dao. The moves are an effective countermeasure to cope with all sorts of rights-violation and provocative acts and respond to the so-called joint patrols by relevant countries, according to the statement.

They are meant to resolutely safeguard China's national sovereignty and security and uphold peace and stability in the South China Sea, said the statement.

The China Coast Guard (CCG) on Saturday conducted law enforcement patrols in the territorial waters off China's Huangyan Dao and its surrounding areas in the South China Sea.

The CCG said in a statement that since February, it has stepped up law enforcement patrols in this area, handling illegal and infringing vessels in accordance with the law and regulations, while intensifying control over relevant maritime areas, thus maintaining China's territorial sovereignty and maritime interests.

Global trade friction index remains high in December

The global economic and trade friction index stayed at a high level in December 2025, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) said on Saturday.

CCPIT's Global Trade Friction Index for October stood at 104 in December 2025, remaining at a high level. While the total value of global trade friction measures declined by 4.6 percent year on year and increased by 6.3 percent month on month.

From the country-specific indices, among the 20 monitored countries and regions, the United States, the European Union (EU), and India ranked top three in the global trade friction index, with the U.S. measures in this regard involving the largest amount of money.

"Judged by the sub-indexes of industries, out of the 13 major industries under survey, trade friction measures were concentrated in electronics, pharmaceuticals, mechanical equipment, non-ferrous metals, and transportation equipment. The electronics sector registered the highest trade friction index," said Wang Wenshuai, a spokeswoman for the CCPIT, at a press conference.

The global economic and trade measures index is a tool used for assessing and measuring the level of economic and trade frictions on a global scale. It serves as an indicator of the degree of trade barriers encountered by countries in their international trade endeavors.

The index looks into trade frictions in 20 countries and regions, including the United States, China, and Japan, and trade-measure usages such as import and export duties, trade remedies, and technical barriers.