China will begin new military drills on Thursday in the disputed South China Sea, according to a defence ministry statement.
The exercises will take place in an area south of the southern Chinese island province of Hainan and north-west of the Paracel Islands.
In July, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that Beijing had no legal right to its claim on a large swathe of the area, in a case brought by the Philippines.
China did not participate in the arbitration case, and rejected the decision as "null and void."
A week after the ruling, China launched military drills in the area.
Beijing claims that it has rights over nearly all of the South China Sea, including the Paracels, east of Danang, and the Spratly Islands to the south.
Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Brunei all have competing claims for areas of the important sea route.
DailyTrust
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