China to hold military drills on South China Sea for seven days.
China planned to hold military drills on the disputed Spratly Islands on South China Sea before the arbitration court ruling on July 12. According to Maritime Safety Administration, the drill will start on Tuesday and will last for seven days.
Philstar reported that China is boycotting the case before The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration. The Philippines is challenging the validity of the nine-dash line that the China is using to claim most of the South China Sea.
The Maritime Safety Administration said that China is regularly holding military drills on the disputed island. The drills will be held from the east of of China’s Hainan Island and encompass the Parcel islands. It was reported that entering the area will be prohibited.
Aside from China and Philippines, other countries are also claiming the disputed island. This include Malaysia, Taiwan, Brunei, and Vietnam.
Spratly Islands is a group of islands which are important for strategic and economic reasons. It is said that Spratly holds a large unexplored reserves of oil and natural gas. It is also one of the world’s most productive area for fishing.
The Philippines is strongly claiming the Spratly Islands since it is part of the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone according to 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
It was January 22, 2013 when the Philippines conducted arbitral proceedings against the People’s Republic of China in the Permanent Court of Arbitraion (PCA) over the disputed islands.
