China, which claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, has been involved an increasingly tense stand-off with the Philippines in the waters there, as both seek to assert their sovereignty claims.

China's coastguard said it carried out law enforcement patrols in waters around the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on Wednesday, amid tensions over the area with the Philippines. The coastguard said it had strengthened patrols since the beginning of April,