China, the United States, and Australia are holding a joint military exercise in Darwin, Chinese defense ministry said on Thursday.  

The joint war drills, which began on August 24, will continue till September 11. The trilateral international military exercise 'Kowari-2016' will focus on field survival.

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"As agreed upon by the Chinese, the Australian and the U.S. defense departments, the three sides will conduct "Kowari-2016" Army Skills Joint Training in Darwin, Australia, from August 24 to September 11," China's defense ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said. 

The ministry also revealed that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) would also take part in a separate joint exercise with Aussie forces from September 14 to 23. 

"The two joint training exercises are aimed at enhancing mutual understanding, deepening practical military cooperation, and improving training level of the participating troops as well as their capability to conduct operations," Wu said in a statement. 

China and Russia would also hold a joint naval exercise in the disputed South China Sea from September 12 to 19. The Chinese war exercise comes at a time when tensions between China and other claimant countries, particularly the Philippines and Vietnam, have been heightened over the contested territory.

China is claiming almost 80 percent of the South China Sea as its territory.  Last month, a United Nations-backed international arbitration tribunal rejected China's claims over the disputed region saying that the country has no legal authority to claim the contested territory. Beijing, however, opposed the ruling as "null and void.'"

The United States, Japan, Australia and other Western countries have repeatedly asked China to recognize the verdict.

Tagschina, US, Australia, military drills, South China Sea