China will conduct a military exercise in the South China Sea next Monday and Tuesday as tensions remain high over the presence of more than 200 Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea, prompting Manila to send daily air patrols over the Julian Felipe Reef. On Friday, the China Maritime Safety Administration issued a notice saying an area between China's southernmost Hainan province and the Paracel Islands would be closed to marine traffic due to military training, the South China Morning Post reported. The previous day the Philippine military sent more warships to carry out “sovereignty patrols” in the South China Sea, where Chinese vessels have surrounded the disputed Julian Felipe (Whitsun) Reef and refused to leave.

Araja, R. N. (2021, March 29). China war games: PH on guard. Manila Standard, pp. A1, A2.