Chinese military conducts drills in South China Sea
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The drills will take place in four regions of the South China Sea, most notably the waters of Guangdong and Hainan provinces.
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Warships and fighter jets of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (Archive)
China began military exercises in the South China Sea, as per a statement published on the website of China's Maritime Safety Administration on Friday.
The drills will take place in four regions of the South China Sea, including the waters of Guangdong and Hainan provinces, according to the agency's brief statement.
The goals of the exercises, as well as the forces and means involved, were not specified, according to TASS.
Furthermore, the Maritime Safety Administration reported that China intends to conduct firing exercises in the South China Sea on August 2 and 3.
The exercise will take place west of the Leizhou Peninsula, according to the agency's website. Maritime traffic in the area will be temporarily halted.
Following Beijing's announcement of live-fire military drills in the Taiwan Strait, President Joe Biden's administration tried Friday to defuse heated Chinese warnings against a possible trip to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Pelosi is reportedly about to leave on an Asian tour that would include Taiwan -- although she pointedly refused to confirm Friday that she would visit the self-ruled island citing travel security considerations.
On his part, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, commenting on a trip by Pelosi to Taiwan, ramblingly said that President Joe Biden made it clear to his counterpart Xi Jinping in a phone call on Thursday that the US "strongly opposes any unilateral efforts" to change the status quo on Taiwan.
Earlier today, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow hopes for no provocations against Beijing on the Taiwan issue, urging the US to remain committed to the One China policy.
Beijing's Foreign Ministry has reiterated on numerous occasions that the one-China principle was a political foundation of US-Sino relations, explaining that the US violated its own obligations and has been jeopardizing bilateral cooperation, as well as peace and stability in the region.
US President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping held their fifth phone call, on Thursday, speaking for more than two hours, as concerns over US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's possible visit to Taiwan mounted.
Read more: China: US pledge to 'defend' Taiwan is 'playing with fire'
