The Chinese navy has announced 10 days of military training in the waters near eastern Hainan Island in the South China Sea starting on Wednesday, amid heightened tensions in the region.
Playing down the significance of the exercises, the Chinese military said the drills, started yesterday in the east of Hainan Province, are not directed against neighbours.
"The drills are regular military exercises scheduled in the annual plan, without targeting any other country," the Ministry of National Defence said.
During the training, 'no vessel is allowed to enter the designated maritime areas', according to China's Maritime Safety Administration, which released the drill plan on Monday.
"Unlike US military forces that can be trained in wars, Chinese navy strength, which lags behind ground forces, needs to be enhanced via regular drills," Maj Gen Xu Guangyu, senior consultant at the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, told the state-run Global Times.
Tensions in the South China Sea have worsened in recent months.
Over the past weekend, Admiral Scott Swift, the new commander of the US Pacific Fleet, joined a seven-hour surveillance flight in a P-8A Poseidon over the South China Sea.
The U.S. recently authorized a seven-hour surveillance flight over the disputed areas, according to Admiral Scott Swift, newly appointed commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
The Ministry of National Defense vehemently voiced its displeasure over the frequent reconnaissance operations over China.