China on Wednesday began military exercises in an area overlapping Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea, the Sanya Maritime Safety Administration said in a navigational warning.
The drill is being conducted daily until December 21 in waters southwest of China’s Hainan Island, part of which is in Vietnam’s EEZ, where it has jurisdiction over resources in the waters and on the seabed.
Authorities in Hainan’s Sanya city did not specify what kind of exercise was in question, but advised civilian vessels not to enter the area.
Vietnamese South China Sea monitor Duan Dang told Radio Free Asia that a second Chinese aircraft carrier, the Shandong, was spotted approaching the exercise area on December 17.
Several Chinese military aircraft were also spotted, including the Wing Loong-10 (WZ-10) high-altitude drone, which is mainly used for reconnaissance. Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited Sanya on Tuesday, Duan noted.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS, does not place restrictions on military exercises and manoeuvres, but Vietnam’s maritime law requires other countries not to conduct any activities that threaten its sovereignty and security in its EEZ.
Vietnam, China and four other parties claim parts of the South China Sea, but China’s claims are by far the most extensive.
In recent months, tensions have been rising between China and the Philippines over islands claimed by both countries.
The military exercises come at a time when Vietnam is holding a massive arms expo called Vietnam Defence Expo 2024 to diversify its arms purchases and showcase domestic products.
