As Biden visits Asia, China launches South China Sea drills

BEIJING (AP) — China is holding military exercises in the disputed South China Sea coinciding with U.S. President Joe Biden’s visit to South Korea and Japan. The Maritime Safety Administration office in the southern island province of Hainan says the drills began Thursday and will continue through Monday. It says other aircraft and vessels will be prohibited from entering the area but gave no further details. China claims the South China Sea virtually in its entirety and the crucial waterway has become a potential flashpoint for conflict in Asia. The U.S. insists on the right to operate freely in the sea and on Friday dispatched the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan to patrol the area.