China sets war gamesBy AFP/APBeijing– China will close off access to part of the South China Sea for military drills, officials said Monday, after an international tribunal ruled against its sweeping claims in the waters. China says if its interests in the South China Sea are threatened, it could declare an air defense identification zone in the area. “We hope that other countries will not take this opportunity to threaten China and (instead) work with China to protect the peace and stability of the South China Sea, and not let it become the origin of a war,” he said. China is the biggest beneficiary of freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and won’t let anybody damage it, Sun said. China has repeatedly blamed the United States for stirring up trouble in the South China Sea, a strategic waterway through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually.

Source: Manila Bulletin July 18, 2016 16:07 UTC