China will reportedly conduct military drills in the South China Sea on Thursday, ordering all other vessels to keep its distance, Reuters reported Wednesday citing the country's maritime safety administration.

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The administration announced the coordinates of an area south of the Chinese island province of Hainan and north-west of the Paracel Islands. Other than prohibiting ships from entering, the officials did not made divulge any other details.

The country's Defence Ministry also did not immediately respond when requested for a comment by Reuters.

Meanwhile, even though China conducts military drills in the disputed territory routinely, the latest announcement came just less than a week after a U.S. navy destroyer sailed near the Paracel Islands and warned Chinese warships to leave the location, the International Business Times noted.

The U.S. argued that it was only following international law when the USS Decatur sailed near the Paracel Islands. U.S. officials also said that China has set up a surface-to-air missiles in Woody Island and also has a runway there.

The military drills also come following U.S. and Japan's announced plans to conduct similar drills in the South China Sea last month.

The roughly 200-nautical mile waterway, which some estimates claim funnels about half of the merchant fleet tonnage of the world, has been contested and claimed by many Southeast Asian countries including Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. However, Beijing is claiming the whole of South China Sea, insisting that it has always been there property since ancient times, IBT reported.

Tagschina, military drills, South China Sea, parcel islands, Scarborough Shoal, tribunal ruling, South China Sea Dispute