Breitbart News by Frances Martel July 28, 2016
The Chinese government has announced that it will hold naval drills with the Russian military in the South China Sea in September, a move following an international court verdict stating that China does not have sovereignty over most of the South China Sea.
The Chinese defense ministry has described the joint military operation as “routine” and “aimed at strengthening the developing China-Russia strategic cooperative partnership.” It has explicitly denied that the drill is a ploy to flex collective military muscle and scare off “third parties.” A defense ministry spokesman affirmed the exercise was necessary for “deepen mutual trust and expand cooperation, raise the ability to jointly deal with security threats, and benefit the maintenance of regional and global peace and stability.”
It is unclear whether the operations will take place in disputed South China Sea territory. China claims most of the major trade route, including areas that are the sovereign territory of Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Earlier this month, China lost a case against the Philippines at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague. The court found that China’s claims were unfounded and that it must cease its illegal military and fishing activities in the region.
