Tension in the South and East China seas is likely to escalate as Beijing deploys more patrol vessels to demonstrate its sovereignty in disputed waters also claimed by many Southeast Asian countries.

Beijing has sent at least 14 vessels to Scarborough Shoal – which it calls Huangyan Island and the Philippines calls Panatag Shoal – in the South China Sea, while two other fisheries patrol vessels have started regular missions near the disputed Diaoyu Islands, known as the Senkakus in Japan, according to the Philippine and Japanese media.

Mainland-based maritime experts said China was well-prepared to deal with any possible military conflicts with Japan, the Philippines and other neighbouring countries involved in territorial disputes in the South and East China seas.

“All those small Asian countries are going to challenge China’s territorial sovereignty just because they have the support of some countries,” Professor Wang Hanling , an expert…