The China Maritime Safety Administration announced that China is conducting extensive naval drills in the South China Sea on July 15-16.
The exercises commenced at 9:00 a.m. local time (01:00 GMT) on Monday and are scheduled to conclude at 7:00 p.m. (11:00 GMT) on July 16.
The maritime safety department provided specific coordinates for the exercise area, designating it as off-limits for the duration of the drills.
No further details about the nature or scope of the exercises have been disclosed.