Chinese armed forces continue to ramp up coastal exercises by announcing further drills
- Latest exercise off coast of Guangdong means six overlapping military and coastguard exercises will be taking place next week
- Both China and the United States have stepped up activity in the region in recent months
China announced a further round of naval exercises in the South China Sea on Sunday as the United States also steps up its presence in the region.
The Guangdong bureau of China’s Maritime Safety Administration said the latest exercise would be held off the coast of the southern province between Monday and Saturday.
The previous day its Hainan bureau had announced a similar exercise off the coast of the neighbouring island at the same time.
Two other exercises to the east of the country – one in the Yellow Sea that finishes on Wednesday and a coastguard drill off the coast of Hebei that will run until the end of September – have also been announced in recent days.
Another two drills will take place in Bohai area, one on Monday and Tuesday and the other a week-long drill that finishes on Friday.
The overlapping exercises continue a trend of intensified maritime activity at a time when the US is also flexing its muscles in the region.