China and Russia will hold joint naval drills in the disputed South China Sea in September, China's Defense Ministry announced Thursday.
The exercises, which the ministry called "routine," were not directed at any third party, spokesman Yang Yujun said.
The planned drills come at a time of heightened tensions in the waters after an international arbitration tribunal earlier this month rejected Beijing's historic claims to much of the South China Sea. China rejected the decision, blasting the proceedings as a "farce" and calling the ruling "waste paper."