China’s navy has in recent days carried out more exercises in the disputed South China Sea, the Ministry of Defence said yesterday, calling them routine drills.
China claims almost all of the energy-rich waters, through which more than US$5 trillion of maritime trade passes each year. The Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan have overlapping claims.
“The People’s Liberation Army Navy in recent days organised a fleet to go to relevant seas in the South China Sea, by way of the Western Pacific, to carry out exercises,” the ministry said in a brief statement.
“This action is a routine arrangement made in accordance with this year’s naval training plan,” it added, without elaborating.
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State media accounts on the internet have in recent days shown pictures of Chinese ships engaged in live-fire exercises in the area, without saying exactly where they took place.