China drill meant to coerce South China Sea claims: experts

A Chinese Coast Guard patrol ship (L) is seen near an unidentified vessel in the South China Sea, in a handout photo distributed by the Philippine Coast Guard April 15 and taken according to the source either on April 13 or 14, 2021. Photo by Philippine Coast Guard/Handout via Reuters

China on March 4 announced the establishment of a no-go zone for a military drill in the East Sea, which experts believe could be used to push its claims in the waterway.

Collin Koh Swee Lea, a research fellow at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, told VnExpress International that the drills certainly form part of the routine set of exercises that are conducted with greater intensity in recent years, especially after Chinese President Xi Jinping exhorted the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to undertake combat readiness in early 2021.

"It also appears to coincide with the announcement on defense spending."

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