China to hold more military drills off northeast, east coasts

BEIJING:

China will hold further military exercises from Monday along its northeast and eastern coast, the government said, the latest in a series of unusual back-to-back drills against a backdrop of rising regional tension.

The first set of exercises will take place in the Bohai Sea, off the northeastern port of Qinhuangdao, on Monday, the Maritime Safety Administration said.

The second set, including live-fire exercises, will be held in the southern part of the Yellow Sea on Tuesday and Wednesday off the city of Lianyungang, it added in a separate posting.

All other ships are prohibited from entering the area, it added.

Last month, China announced four separate exercises, from the Bohai Sea to the East and Yellow Seas and down to the disputed South China Sea, in what Chinese military experts said was a rare move.

China has also held frequent military activities near Chinese-claimed Taiwan, and has complained about repeated U.S. military missions in the South China Sea.

China and the United States have been at loggerheads over everything from the coronavirus pandemic to trade and human rights.