China Holds Military Exercises In The South China Sea After Discussing Regional Tensions With The US

JAKARTA - China's air and sea forces maneuvered the South China Sea dispute region. This action comes hours after the country's top diplomat discussed ways to reduce regional tensions with its US counterparts.

The news comes after Australia and the Philippines said their military would hold joint maritime activities with Japan, New Zealand, and the United States in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.

China's drills will include routine early warning and reconnaissance exercises and patrols around the Scarborough Shoal, the People's Liberation Army's Southern Theater Command said.

The theater forces maintain a high level of vigilance, firmly defending national sovereignty, security and maritime rights and interests, (and) firmly in maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea," he said.

One of the most contested in Asia, Scarborough Shoal is located 200 km (124 miles) off the coast of the Philippines, in its exclusive economic zone.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, including its atoll, which is rich in stunning greenish fish and lagoon stocks, despite claims overlapping the busy waterways by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

However, in 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled China's massive claims were not supported by international law.

The court did not determine its sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal, which the court says is a traditional fishing area for several countries.

The announcement of the maneuver comes after Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in New York to discuss ways to avoid conflict in the South China Sea.