China Holds Naval Exercises in South China Sea Despite Hague Ruling

China is closing off part of the South China Sea for military drills this week. Beijing’s maritime administration issued a warning Monday that an area located southeast of the island province of Hainan would be off limits between Tuesday and Thursday.

The announcement comes a week after China losing a historic case over its territorial claims in the South China Sea.

The United Nations’ Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague dismissed Beijing’s claim of virtual sovereignty over the nearly 3.5 million-square-kilometer South China Sea in a ruling last Tuesday.