China MoD-US Conducted 'Provocative' Military Drills, Will Not Sit By

Wires carrying comment attributed to the Chinese Defence Ministry regarding the joint drills in the Yellow Sea by the US and its allies. States that "The conducted provocative military activities on China's doorstep, China will not sit idly by." Ships from the navies of the US, Canada, and South Korea haverecently engaged in drillsin the Yellow Sea in what South Korean navy Cmdr. Kim Hyunseok said was in response to increased aggression from North Korea.

• The drills marked the first time in 10 years that a US vessel with aircraft carrier-level capacity had entered the Yellow Sea. Following this, China has engaged in two separate naval exercises in the region.
• SCMP reports: "Collin Koh, a senior fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said China’s decision to conduct drills in the Yellow Sea was “not surprising” as it was a tit-for-tat exercise to demonstrate its displeasure about Washington’s drills near its coast."
• The drills remain another source of tension between the US and China, which remain at elevated levels despite some efforts to engage in dialogue between senior Cabinet-level officials in recent months.