Beijing announces drill in South China Sea as US official reports missile sighting
- The Chinese maritime safety agency says it has closed an area of the South China Sea for a five-day military exercise
- US official tells NBC that ‘concerning’ missile testing is taking place during the same period
China said it was conducting a military drill over the South China Sea as tensions between Beijing and the waters’ other claimants continued to simmer.
Sailing into the area, near Macclesfield Bank and Spratly Bank, was prohibited during that period, it said. Macclesfield Bank, called the Zhongsha Islands in China, is an underwater atoll also claimed by the Philippines.
The announcement coincided with US reports that China had been conducting a series of anti-ship ballistic missile tests in the South China Sea.
American broadcaster NBC News reported on Tuesday that Chinese military personnel had carried out the first of the missile tests over the weekend, firing at least one missile into the sea.
An American official said the window for testing would last until Wednesday, and that they expected the Chinese military to carry out another test in that time, the report said, without elaborating on the details of the testing or the type of missile.
The United States has naval vessels in the South China Sea but the official told NBC that these were not close to where the weekend test took place, and were not in danger. But they described the test as “concerning”.
The official, who was not authorised to speak about the testing, could not say whether the anti-ship missiles being tested represented a new capability for the Chinese military, the report said.
China’s announcement of a drill and the reported missile testing come amid tensions between China and the US on issues ranging from military matters to trade.
“China and the US should not fall into a so-called trap of conflict and confrontation, but should promote each other and develop together,” he said.
China claims sovereignty over much of the South China Sea and has been embroiled in territorial disputes with a number of Southeast Asian countries, including US ally the Philippines.
The US continues to challenge China’s maritime claims by sailing near and flying over disputed waters in the area.
In April, Beijing and Manila engaged in a diplomatic stand-off over the presence of about 275 Chinese vessels near the Philippine-occupied Thitu Island, prompting Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to demand that China “lay off the island”.
In early June, conflict erupted again when a Chinese fishing vessel collide with a smaller Philippine boat anchored near the disputed Reed Bank, sinking the Philippine vessel. China and the Philippines agreed to conduct a joint inquiry into the incident.
Song Zhongping, a Hong Kong-based military analyst, said it was necessary for the Chinese military to conduct drills and tests to improve its readiness to defend its “core interest” in the South China Sea.
“Countries outside the region continue to stir up the issue through so-called freedom of navigation operations and close surveillance, threatening China’s national security,” Song said. “The Chinese military must fight back at those provocations.”
