China will hold military exercises this week in the South China Sea ahead of a UN arbitration ruling Andrew Cogliano Jersey , with analysts saying the drills are meant for peacekeeping while showing that China is capable of defending its territorial sovereignty.


The Maritime Safety Administration of China on Sunday posted a notice on its official website, saying that military exercises in certain waters of the South China Sea will be held from Tuesday to July 11, and all civilian vessels will be prohibited from those areas.


The exercises will finish one day before the UN arbitration court announces its decision on the South China Sea case initiated by the Philippines against China.


"China gave coordinates for the drills that cover an area from the east of China's Hainan Island down to and including the Xisha Islands," Reuters reported Sunday.


The Hong Kong Economic Times reported Wednesday that warships from the three fleets of the Chinese navy were spotted at the Sanya military port, Hainan. The warships allegedly included the guided missile destroyer Shenyang under the North China Sea Fleet, the guided missile destroyer Ningbo and the missile frigate Chaozhou under the East China Sea Fleet.


An official from the defense ministry told the Global Times on Thursday that this is a routine exercise according to an annual plan.


"The timing of the exercises in the South China Sea is subtle Cam Fowler Jersey , but it's not necessary to link it with the arbitration, because the exercise is a routine activity that was planned a long time ago," Liu Feng, an expert on Chinese maritime issues, told the Global Times on Sunday.


Wang Xiaopeng, a maritime border expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Anaheim Ducks T-Shirts , told the Global Times the drill is a normal naval activity to methodically maintain regional stability, which is not connected with specific events or targeted at certain countries.


The situation in the South China Sea is sensitive. However, given the sluggish global economy, it is more essential to improve regional cooperation, instead of making trouble like the US and Japan, Liu said.


Currently Anaheim Ducks Hoodie , there are some unstable elements in the area, mainly because of persistent intervention from the US and the arbitration case initiated by the Philippines, which have overshadowed the security of the area, Wang said.


China will continue constructing on reefs in the area and improve naval power in order to maintain regional peace and show the outsiders that China has the capability to maintain its own sovereign security, Liu noted.


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