Yellow Sea is a scene of naval war games for China, US, South Korea

The Yellow Sea is again the scene for naval war games. China has launched a four-day artillery exercise in the waters off its eastern coast near the city of Qingdao. The United States and South Korea are to hold joint drills in the same waters in a few days, their secound round. South Korea has also held its own naval drills since May.

China's Defense Ministry, according to the Xinhua news agency, describes its naval drill, which began on Wednesday, as routine training. The Beihai fleet of the navy of the People's Liberation Army will conduct a "live ammunition drill" through Saturday in waters off Qingdao in the Yellow Sea. The report said many of the planes, vessels and battlefield weaponry are to be used in the exercises were the ones unveiled at the National Day military parade on October 1 last year, when China celebrated 60 years of Communist rule.

It is to be noted China’s manoeuvers comes just ahead of a second round of war games in the same waters by the United States and South Korea, which will be beginning on Sunday in the Yellow Sea, between northern China and the Korean peninsula.

Baek Seungjo, the director of the Center for Security and Strategy at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses in Seoul, says Beijing's announcement of its drill likely means it is a response to the U.S.-South Korean exercises.

China has repeatedly objected to U.S. exercises in the Yellow Sea, even though most of it lies in international waters. Beijing says the sea is part of its security perimeter.

The maritime boundary between the two Koreas in the Yellow Sea also is disputed.

Military leaders from Washington and Seoul say that a series of exercises over the past few months is meant to demonstrate to North Korea that the U.S. remains committed to defending South Korea.

Tensions have increased on the Korean peninsula since the sinking of a South Korean naval ship in the Yellow Sea in March. An international investigation concluded the Cheonan was hit by a North Korean torpedo. The attack killed 46 South Korean sailors. Pyongyang denies responsibility.

The United States and South Korea announced a new set of military exercises this time that will be held in the Yellow Sea About ten warships or submarines will join an upcoming US-South Korean naval exercise.

The five-day drill starting Sunday in the Yellow Sea is the second in a series of joint naval exercises 'designed to send a clear message of deterrence' to the North while improving anti-submarine warfare capabilities, the US Forces Korea said in a statement.

The exercise, to be conducted in international waters, will focus on anti-submarine warfare tactics, techniques and procedures. “It will be conducted in the waters off the western coast of South Korea,” Whitman said. “This exercise is designed to improve the readiness and proficiency of U.S. and [South Korean] forces to defend against subsurface attacks.”“We said we would continue a series of exercises – defensive in nature – that are designed to send a clear message to North Korea,” Whitman said.

In the meantime the USS George Washington, an American nuclear-powered supercarrier, is scheduled to arrive in Manila on Saturday, September 4. The aircraft carrier will arrive "for a goodwill visit that will further enhance the strong historic ties between the United States and the Republic of the Philippines through community relations projects and professional exchanges between US and Philippine Navy counterparts."

Earlier, USS George Washington participated in exercise Invincible Spirit in the Sea of Japan with the United States Air Force, Republic of Korea Air Force and Republic of Korea Navy from July 25 to 28.Invincible Spirit was staged to improve combined operations capability and as a show of deterrence following the ROKS Cheonan sinking.

The US- South Korea’s earlier exercise (first round) was conducted in the Sea of Japan to placate China's objections to military exercises being conducted in the Yellow Sea but due in part to those objections a second exercise, which would take place in the Yellow Sea on the west coast of North Korea, is being planned.

-Asian Tribune -