Chinese coastguard patrols disputed reefs controlled by Vietnam in South China Sea

The Chinese coastguard patrolled around disputed sites controlled by Vietnam in the South China Sea last week, vessel tracking information shows.

Three patrol ships left a Chinese base on Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands on Thursday and circled around a series of land features – some of which Vietnam has built facilities on – before returning to the reef on Saturday, according to Automatic Identification System data.

 The purpose of the patrol by the coastguard vessels – identified by the hull numbers 4301, 5009 and 21559 – was not clear.