China Conducts Military Drills in South China Sea

China has launced military exercises at a time of heightened tension in the disputed waters of the South China Sea after an arbitration court in The Hague ruled last month that it did not have historic rights to the South China Sea.

The air force sent several H-6 bombers and Su-30 fighter jets to inspect the airspace around the Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal, Senior Colonel Shen Jinke of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force said, according to state news agency Xinhua.

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The patrols included surveillance and refueling aircraft, Xinhua said, although it did not say when they occurred.

"The Air Force is organizing normalized South China Sea combat patrols, practising tactics ... increasing response capabilities to all kinds of security threats and safeguarding national sovereignty, security and maritime interests," Shen said.

The move takes place following a recent ruling by the ruling the Hague that invalidated China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. 

Previously, China had claimed stake in almost the entire area South China Sea, which is believed to have huge deposits of oil and gas through which about $5 trillion in trade is shipped every year.

China, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam all have rival claims in the South China Sea.

Meanwhile, the United States has carried out navigation patrols close to Chinese-held islands, prompting criticism and concern from Chinese officials in Beijing.