BEIJING: China’s coast guard held a National Day flag-raising ceremony on a ship in the waters off the disputed Scarborough Shoal, vowing to “stand guard” over the atoll, a major flashpoint for diplomatic flare-ups and maritime clashes with the Philippines. Both countries claim the triangular feature in the busy waterway of the South China Sea, but it is effectively under Beijing’s control. In September, China infuriated Manila with a plan to set up a “national” nature reserve there.

BEIJING: China’s coast guard held a National Day flag-raising ceremony on a ship in the waters off the disputed Scarborough Shoal, vowing to “stand guard” over the atoll, a major…

National Day message for state television says patrols will resume around the South China Sea reef that is also claimed by the Philippines.