China plans to conduct military drills in the disputed South China Sea ahead of an international court decision on Beijing’s contested claims to large swaths of the territory.
China’s maritime safety administration said in a statement over the weekend that the nation would run the drills from July 5 to July 11, the Guardian reported.
The exercises are set to end just one day before an international arbitration body will issue a July 12 tribunal ruling in the Hague, Netherlands, on the contested territory. The Philippines brought the case to the Permanent Court of Arbitration, challenging China’s claims to much of the South China Sea, including several disputed islands and reefs. China has said it will ignore the ruling, according to Defense One.
Chinese officials detailed exact geographic coordinates where the military drills will take place that span an area from east of Hainan Island down through the Paracel Islands, which are also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.
Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry protested against the week-long exercises Monday, saying that they would compromise maritime safety and intensify tensions in the region.
China frequently conducts drills in the South China Sea, where Beijing’s territorial claims also compete with those made by the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei.
China said other ships will be prohibited from entering the area during the tests.
Roughly $5 trillion in shipping trade passes through the area annually.