The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy conducted a military drill between July 5 and July 11 in the South China Sea. According to Chinese military sources, the military drill covered the waters of the whole Xisha Islands.

Various hypotheses have been put forward about the motive for the naval exercise. Some argue that it was to assert China's sovereignty over the South China Sea, while others say it was held to coincide with the result of the South China Sea arbitration initiated by the Philippines, which is due to be announced on July 12.

The islands in the South China Sea have been part of Chinese territory since ancient times. It was the Chinese who first discovered and developed all the islands and reefs in the sea. China possesses undisputable sovereignty over these islands and their surrounding waters. The Chinese people's maritime trade and fishery activities in these waters date back to the Qin (221-206 B.C.) and Han (206 B.C.-A.D. 220) dynasties. The islands, which were invaded and occupied by the Japanese during World War II, were subsequently given back to China. At that time, no countries around the South China Sea expressed doubts about their sovereignty, nor did any express objections when the Chinese Government issued a statement to confirm the country's sovereignty over the islands.

Therefore, China does not need to claim its sovereignty through naval exercises. Besides, if the most recent exercise was designed to affirm China's sovereignty, then it would not have happened in the Xisha Islands waters, but would have taken place around the Nansha Islands and would have been further expanded to the whole of the South China Sea.

Neither is the naval exercise a reaction to the South China Sea arbitration case, as China is consistent about settling disputes related to the area peacefully through bilateral negotiations. As far as the arbitration case is concerned, the Chinese Government has already announced its position: China will not accept or participate in the arbitration and will not recognize the so-called "award." China will not resort to military means for solving disputes over the South China Sea. Neither will it react with naval exercises to an arbitration result that it rejects.

The Ministry of National Defense has made it clear that the military drill is part of the PLA Navy's annual routine exercise plans to bolster its ability to deal with security threats and accomplish missions. In recent years, the PLA Navy has conducted military drills in the South China Sea every year. Who is threatening China? Where are the threats coming from? Answers to these questions are the reasons behind China's military exercises.

The South China Sea used to be a sea of peace. Under the pretext of freedom of navigation, the United States has militarized the region. Moreover, the United States is trying to threaten China by showing off its aircraft carriers, warships and warplanes on China's doorstep. According to the U.S. Seventh Fleet, Carrier Strike Group Five, led by the USS Ronald Reagan, entered the South China Sea on June 30 to conduct a so-called "routine patrol." On June 15, the U.S. military dispatched four Boeing EA-18G Growler planes and around 120 personnel to Clark Air Base in the Philippines. The U.S. Navy officially confirmed on June 27 that three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers were patrolling the South China Sea. The U.S. army has carried out a strong military buildup in the waters.

Against this backdrop, it's natural for the PLA Navy to conduct a military drill. Actually, the aim of the Chinese military is clear in the context of the drill it staged in July 2015. Last year's exercise focused on operating in a complicated electromagnetic environment. The navies of China's neighbors around the South China Sea are weak in electronic warfare. However, the interference of outsiders might draw the Chinese Navy into sea and air confrontations involving a complex electromagnetic environment.

Similarly, this year's naval exercise also means to improve the Chinese Navy's capability to deal with all kinds of threats. It delivers a signal: the PLA is able to protect China's national sovereignty. Despite the Ministry of National Defense's claim that the naval exercise does not target any particular country, a person of good sense can easily understand the target of China's latest military drill in the South China Sea.

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