Chinese military forces conducted live-fire exercises in the Gulf of Tonkin on Monday, raising tensions anew among claimant countries to the disputed South China Sea.

The live-fire exercise is the latest in a series of military drills Beijing plans to conduct in the coming months in the South China Sea to equip its troops with skills to respond to threats in the region.

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According to China's maritime safety administration, ships and other naval vessels were barred from entering the area during the duration of the drills. The drills will be carried out from Monday to Wednesday. 

The Gulf of Tonkin is a body of water located off the coast of northern Vietnam and southern China. It is the northern arm of the South China Sea.

Routine

Chinese authorities said the military drills were part of routine drills by the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) in the disputed sea and was not aimed to target any country.

China's armed forces have held a series of military drills in the surrounding waters of the region since a ruling by an international arbitral court dismissed Beijing's massive claims in the strategic waterway.

Following the release of the verdict, Beijing said it would step up its air patrols over the disputed sea and would continue to build military facilities such as air strips and outposts on the islands under its control in the disputed Spratly.

Hangars

Last week, an international think-tank released satellite images showing that China is constructing hangars in the disputed Spratly capable of accommodating around 70 aircraft, including fighter jets.

The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei have overlapping claims to the Spratly Islands besides China

On Sunday, Chinese troops conducted military drills in the Sea of Japan involving the country's latest ships and frigates

Military analysts said that Beijing has increasingly stepped up its presence in the uninhabited islands in the Sea of Japan controlled by Tokyo.

Japan has recently lodged a diplomatic protest with the Chinese ambassador after 7 Chinese Coast Guard ships and more than 200 fishing vessels entered Japanese waters and surrounded the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands.

China and Russia are scheduled to hold joint military exercises in the South China Sea next month.

TagsChinese military drills, South China Sea, Gulf of Tonkin, PLAN, china