China ‘to hold drills in disputed South China Sea’

Chinese naval forces are gearing up to conduct military drills near disputed islands in the South China Sea, in what appears to be a reaction to a recent US patrol in the area.

China’s Maritime Safety Administration made the announcement on its website, declaring that the maneuvers were planned for Thursday, without providing any further details.

The move was prompted less than a week after a US guided-missile destroyer sailed through the contested waters, allegedly conducting a “navigation freedom operation” close to the Paracel Islands, over which China has territorial disputes with its neighbors.

The Friday operation swiftly elicited a Chinese Defense Ministry statement, saying the US warship patrol near the islands was “illegal” and “provocative.” It added that the patrol had seriously damaged mutual trust between the two countries.

“This is serious illegal behavior, and is intentionally provocative behavior. China’s Defense Ministry is resolutely opposed to this and has lodged serious representations with the US side,” the statement said.

The US has time and again risked heightening tensions with China through military presence in the South China Sea, questioning Beijing’s insistence on sovereignty over the disputed waters.

China has, in response, accused Washington of meddling in regional issues and deliberately escalating the situation in the region.

SS