Meanwhile, in the South China Sea, a battle of the buoys between China and the Philippines is in full swing.
On Wednesday, China deployed its largest beacon vessel to the disputed Spratly Islands releasing three navigation buoys in the contested the waters.
The action followed similar marker placements by the Philippine Coast Guard earlier this month, which aim to fortify its territorial claim to the area.
The South China Sea is one of the world’s most crucial trade routes and Beijing’s aggressive actions in the area have drawn concerns from the West.
Although Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam also lay claims in the Spratlys, China has dredged sand to build islands on reefs and equipped them with missiles and aircraft runways.
As of now, the regime has built seven artificial islands in the South China Sea and at least three of them are fully militarized.
Beijing has for years deployed hundreds of coast guard and fishing vessels in disputed areas.