Reprinted with permission from TheNewAmerican.com.

A July 1 AP report cited a notice from China’s Maritime Safety Administration that the communist giant is holding military exercises across a large portion of the South China Sea, reinforcing its claims over the entire strategic body of water. The exercises will end on July 3.

The report noted that China “considers control of the South China Sea as crucial to its foreign trade routes and aspirations to surpass the U.S. as the dominant military power in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Another report from CNBC cited statements from two U.S. officials who said that the Chinese carried out the first of a series of anti-ship ballistic missile tests in the South China Sea over the weekend, firing off at least one missile into the sea. The window for testing remains open until July 3.

The report noted that a U.S. official said that U.S. military has ships in the South China Sea, but they were not close to the weekend test and were not in danger. However, the official added that the test is “concerning.” The official, who was not authorized to speak about the testing, could not say whether the anti-ship missiles being tested represent a new capability for the Chinese military.

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