China may be flying combat patrols over disputed islands in the South China Sea

Nearly a month after the Hague-based court invalidated China's vast territorial claims in the South China Sea, the Chinese announced they have been conducting aerial combat patrols in the region regardless.

China's air force sent several H-6 bombers and Su-30 fighter jets to inspect the airspace around the Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal immediately after the ruling, Senior Colonel Shen Jinke of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force said, according to state news agency Xinhua. 

"The Air Force is organizing normalized South China Sea combat patrols, practicing tactics ... increasing response capabilities to all kinds of security threats and safeguarding national sovereignty, security and maritime interests," Shen said.

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