Chinese guided missile destroyers and missile frigate were deployed in Paracel Islands on the South China Sea. This region is an object of the territorial claims and disputes between China, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. The exercises were partially a reaction from Beijing to the regular American drills in the area. However, China’s media claims that this kind of drills are a normal naval activity of the country in the region and are not “connected with the specific events or targeted at certain countries”.

This action comes one week before a verdict that is to be handed down by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague over a territorial claims and disputes between China and the Philippines on the South China Sea. The Philippines initially brought the case in 2013,  claiming that the zone Beijing claims on the South China Sea originally belongs to the Philippines according to the UNCLOS convention from 1982. Even though the official decision of the Court has not yet been revealed, China has already claimed that it would not recognize the court’s authority and final decision. This rejection may have major implications as for the further Chinese claims on the South China Sea. Today Beijing claims a huge part of the South China Sea (over 85%) according to its “nine-dash line”, which doesn’t respect the international rule of the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.

Experts claim that the territorial disputes taking place in the South China Sea region as well as the dispute between Japan and China in the East China Sea, could become a trigger for the potential conflict in Asia.

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