BEIJING - China will conduct military “combat patrols” on April 7 in the disputed South China Sea, a statement from the army said, the same day as joint drills by the Philippines, the United States, Japan and Australia take place.

“On April 7, the Southern Theatre Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army organises joint naval and air combat patrols in the South China Sea,” said the statement.

“All military activities that mess up the situation in the South China Sea and create hotspots are under control,” it added, in an apparent swipe at the other drills being held in the waters.

The announcement comes one day after defence chiefs from four countries including the Philippines – which has been engaged in several contentious maritime disputes with Beijing recently – said they would conduct joint drills in the area on April 7.

Further details about Chinese military activities in the waterway were not announced.

The exercises take place days before US President Joe Biden is due to hold the first trilateral summit with the leaders of the Philippines and Japan.

Top US officials have repeatedly declared the United States’ “ironclad” commitment to defending the Philippines against an armed attack in the South China Sea – to the consternation of Beijing.

China claims territorial sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea and has been increasingly assertive in the region in recent years. AFP