China's military said Sunday that it launched air and sea patrols in the South China Sea in an apparent response to naval drills by the U.S. and its allies.
The dueling operations come amid rising tensions in the region, particularly in long-running territorial disputes between China and the Philippines.
Defense officials from the U.S., Japan, Australia and the Philippines announced Saturday that they would conduct joint exercises in the sea on Sunday.
On Sunday, the Chinese military's Southern Theater Command said that it had launched patrols that determined "all military activities that disrupt the South China Sea and create hotspots are under control," according to the Associated Press.
China's statement did not mention the United States or the naval drills, just as the statement by the U.S. and its allies did not mention China.
But the operations unfolded against a backdrop of long-simmering international tensions in the sea.
Despite a 2016 international arbitration ruling that struck down China's far-reaching territorial claims in the sea, China has maintained disputes with several nations in the region, including the Philippines.
Last month, the Chinese coast guard fired water cannons at a Philippine supply ship near the Second Thomas Shoal, prompting the Philippines to summon China's envoy and enhance their maritime security measures.
