(Bloomberg) -- China will conduct military training exercises in contested waters of the South China Sea on Saturday — the same day the US and its allies have drills planned — the People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command said on its official Wechat account.
Naval and air forces will take part in activities including reconnaissance and early warning drills as well as sea and air patrols near Huangyan Island, according to the statement. The island is part of what is more commonly known as Scarborough Shoal, an collection of reefs and outcroppings long claimed by the Philippines.
The US, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the Philippines will undertake joint military activities in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea on Saturday.
Read: Why China Keeps Ramming Philippine Ships and Where That’s Headed
Tensions have been rising between Beijing and Manila over competing claims of sovereignty in several areas of the South China Sea. China’s claims to a large swath of the regional waters were rejected in favor of the Philippines by a UN tribunal in 2016, a ruling not recognized by Beijing.
--With assistance from Ainslie Chandler.
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