Chinese military plans another South China Sea drill
- Latest exercise off island of Hainan comes as both US and China step up their activities in the region
- Chinese military also planning exercises in Yellow Sea
Beijing has announced it will stage a naval exercise in the South China Sea, the latest in a series of drills held amid ongoing tensions with the US.
Saturday’s announcement came a day after it said it would stage a separate exercise in the Yellow Sea.
Hainan Maritime Safety Administration announced that the waters southeast of Hainan island would be sealed off for an exercise running from Monday until Saturday.
The United States has also been conducting a series of exercises in the region and on Friday the USS Ronald Reagan and its carrier strike group returned to the South China Sea for a series of air defence exercises after a joint drill with Japan.
The US Navy also sent a destroyer, the USS Mustin, through the Taiwan Strait following the exercise with Japan in what America said was a demonstration of its commitment to a “free and open Indo-Pacific”.
This week CNN also broadcast rare footage provided by the US Navy showing a reconnaissance plane flying over the South China Sea.
