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PLA Southern Theater Command holds bomber formation patrol in South China Sea: spokesperson

Global Times

By Liu Xuanzun and Guo Yuandan Published: Nov 16, 2025 12:02 PM

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command announced on Sunday that it had conducted a bomber formation patrol in the South China Sea amid the Philippines' so-called "joint patrols" with external forces. An expert said powerful bombers could serve as a warning to provocateurs.

The PLA Southern Theater Command organized a bomber formation to conduct a routine patrol in the South China Sea on Friday, Senior Colonel Tian Junli, a spokesperson for the Southern Theater Command, said in a statement on Sunday.

The Philippines has frequently colluded with external forces to carry out so-called "joint patrols," undermining regional peace and stability, Tian said. "We solemnly warn the Philippine side to immediately stop provoking incidents and escalating tensions," he said.

Tian's remarks came after Philippine media reported on Sunday that the US and Japan joined the Philippines in a maritime exercise in the South China Sea. Citing a Philippine official, Manila Bulletin reported that the three countries conducted a two-day "Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity" from Friday to Saturday.

The theater command forces maintain a high level of alert at all times, resolutely safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and peace and stability in the South China Sea region. Any attempt to infringe on the sovereignty and stir up trouble will never succeed, said Tian, the PLA Southern Theater Command spokesperson.

According to public information, this is the first time the PLA Southern Theater Command has announced organizing a bomber formation in response to the Philippines' so-called "joint patrols" with external forces.

Song Zhongping, a military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Sunday that thanks to the continuous enhancement of the PLA's military capabilities and the steady improvement of weapon and equipment performance, the PLA's operational and tactical means in the South China Sea have become increasingly diversified. The bomber formation is just one of the PLA's diversified strike methods, he said.

According to Song, bombers are among the most important air strike forces, and the dispatch of a bomber formation can demonstrate stronger strike capability. A bomber formation can carry out effective saturation attacks even if the opponent has large surface ships.

The Philippines has been courting external forces to conduct so-called "joint patrols" in the South China Sea, posing threats to China's sovereignty over its islands and reefs. Against this background, the PLA bomber formation's patrol could serve as a warning to the provocateurs' warships, Song said.