China and Russia will conduct naval exercises in the disputed South China Sea waters in September, China's Defence Ministry Spokesman said on Thursday, according to Reuters.    

The announcement of the upcoming naval drill comes at a time of unprecedented tension after the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, Netherlands ruled against China's sweeping claim over the disputed maritime territory.

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"This is a routine exercise between the two armed forces, aimed at strengthening the developing China-Russia strategic cooperative partnership," China's defense ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said.  "The exercise is not directed against third parties."

China and Russia held joint military exercises in the Sea of Japan and the Mediterranean last year. Both countries have forged an alliance to counter Western powers on a range of issues such as the South China Sea, North Korea, and Syria.

Russia has also given complete backing to China over the arbitration court's verdict. Chinese state media earlier this month claimed that up to 70 countries support China's stance regarding the verdict.    

China has categorically stated that it would not accept arbitration court verdict under any circumstance. Earlier this week, China succeeded in excluding the mention of the South China Sea verdict in a joint statement at the ASEAN's foreign ministers meeting, after withstanding diplomatic pressure from the Philippines and the US.

Meanwhile, the Philippines has apparently softened its stance over arbitration court's verdict. The Philippines' Foreign Ministry has said that Manila is open to dialogue with China for peaceful resolution of the South China Sea dispute.

The change in Manila's stance came following a meeting between US Secretary of State John Kerry and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi. During the meeting, Wang asked for the US' support to restart the stalled peace talk with Manila. Kerry gave his complete support to the resumption of the dialogue.

Tagschina, Russia, South China Sea, China and Russia Naval Excercise