BEIJING, Sept 28 (Askume) – China’s military said on Saturday its air force and navy were conducting exercises in disputed waters of the South China Sea, hours after the country’s top diplomat discussed ways to ease regional tensions with his U.S. counterpart.
Previously, Australia and the Philippines said their forces would conduct joint maritime activities with Japan, New Zealand and the United States in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
China’s exercises will include “routine” early warning and reconnaissance drills as well as patrols around Scarborough Shoal, the People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theater Command said in a statement without giving details.
The troops in the theater remain on high alert, firmly safeguard national sovereignty, security and maritime rights and interests, and firmly safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea.
One of Asia’s most controversial sites, Scarborough Shoal, lies 200 kilometres (124 miles) off the Philippines and within its exclusive economic zone.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, including atolls known for rich fish stocks and stunning turquoise lagoons, while Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam also lay claim to the busy waterway.
However, in 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China’s sweeping claims were not supported by international law, a decision that Beijing refused to accept.
The arbitral tribunal did not determine the sovereignty of the Scarborough Shoal, stating that the Scarborough Shoal is a traditional fishing area for several countries.
The drills were announced after Foreign Minister Wang Yi met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in New York to discuss ways to avoid conflict in the South China Sea .
In March, Blinken assured the Philippines that its defense partnership with the United States would remain “unshakable” after Manila accused Beijing of aggressively deploying coast guard and fishing vessels in the South China Sea but suspected the vessels to be maritime militias.
China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that at Friday’s meeting, Wang Yi “stressed that China firmly insists on resolving differences through dialogue and consultation with relevant countries.”
Blinken said they raised China’s “dangerous and destabilizing actions” in the South China Sea and discussed improving communications between the two countries’ militaries.
China’s Foreign Ministry said Wang told Blinken that “the United States should never stir up trouble in the South China Sea and undermine efforts by regional countries to maintain peace and stability.”
A Beijing think tank estimated in a report on Friday that warships from various countries spend more than 20,000 days in the South China Sea each year and more than 30,000 military aircraft fly over the South China Sea.
The South China Sea Strategic Situational Awareness Project, a think tank, said US Navy ships have been sailing in the area for about 1,600 days and the number of submarines is unknown.
