Full coverage: The South China Sea Issue

China will conduct military exercises this week in the South China Sea. The Maritime Safety Administration of China posted an official notice on its website on Sunday, saying that drills in certain waters of the region will be held from Tuesday and run until July 11th.

A formation of the Nanhai Fleet of China's Navy on Saturday finished a three-day patrol of the Nansha islands in the South China Sea. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Hong Kong Economic Times reported that warships from the Chinese navy were spotted at the Sanya military port in Hainan. The fleet allegedly included the guided missile destroyers Shenyang and Ningbo and the missile frigate Chaozhou.

The exercises will finish one day before the arbitration court in The Hague announces its decision on the South China Sea territorial dispute case initiated by the Philippines.