By Ludovic EHRET
China and Russia will hold joint naval exercises in the South China Sea in September, Beijing's defence ministry said Thursday, after an international tribunal invalidated the Asian giant's extensive claims in the area.
The drills will be carried out in the "relevant sea and air of the South China Sea", defence ministry spokesman Yang Yujun told reporters at a monthly briefing.
With international diplomatic tensions mounting and Washington regularly sending warships into the strategically vital area to assert the right to freedom of navigation, the move could see vessels from several of the world's most powerful militaries in the same region at the same time.
The drills aimed to "consolidate and develop" China and Russia's comprehensive strategic partnership, and "enhance the capabilities of the two navies to jointly deal with maritime security threats" Yang said.
The announcement comes after a tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that there was "no legal basis" to Beijing's claims in the South China Sea, embodied in a "nine-dash line" dating from Chinese maps of the 1940s and extending almost to the coasts of other countries, which have competing claims.
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