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China And Russia To Hold Joint Drills In South China Sea
China and Russia are to hold naval exercises in the South China Sea in September.
The Chinese Defence Ministry said the drills were “routine” and were not aimed at any other country.
Their spokesman, Yang Yujun, said:
"This is a routine exercise between the two armed forces, aimed at strengthening the developing China-Russia strategic cooperative partnership. The exercise is not directed against third parties."
The exercises come at a time of heightened tension in the contested waters.
Last month, an arbitration court in The Hague ruled that China did not have historic rights to the sea.
China rejected the ruling.
US Navy has photographed islands in the South China Sea.
The sea has been disputed for centuries but they have intensified as China has continued to expand its island building in the sea, which is a major shipping route for roughly £3.17tn in trade.
It has been accused of building military bases on the islands, some of which are man-made, and of deploying missiles to the area.
It says the media should focus more on the lighthouses that have been built “assuring the safety of passing ships".
Several countries have overlapping claims to the islands and surrounding waters, including Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and the Philippines.
China claims most of the area, which is believed to have significant oil and gas reserves.
Last month, a US supercarrier, the USS John C. Stennis, was shadowed by a Chinese spy ship after it was followed from the South China Sea.
The USS John C. Stennis.
And earlier this month the USS Ronald Reagan was performing exercises in the area.
The US has been performing ‘freedom of movement’ operations as it tries to assert international freedom of navigation rights.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the sea was a “sensitive diplomatic topic” but he wasn’t surprised China and Russia were seeking to build on their military relationship.
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