(Reuters) – China will conduct military training in the South China Sea from July 29 to Aug. 2, covering a large area including the Paracel Islands and Macclesfield Bank, the Chinese Maritime Safety Administration said on Friday.
Vessels are prohibited from entering the area during the training, it said in a notice.
China claims most of the energy-rich waters of the South China Sea. The Paracel Islands, made up of 30 islands, are occupied by China but also claimed in part by Vietnam and Taiwan.
Macclesfield Bank, a fully submerged atoll of reefs and shoals east of the Paracels, is administered by the Chinese city of Sansha but also claimed by Taiwan.