China holds naval drills ahead of US-led Quad exercise off the coast of Guam

China kicked off a series of naval exercises on Tuesday, ahead of a high-profile joint drill between the US and other members of the strategic Quad alliance off the coast of Guam.

Chinese forces are conducting live ammunition training near the southern province of Guangdong in the South China Sea, and off the northeast coast near Liaoning in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Strait, according to Maritime Safety Administration notices warning against entry to the waters.

It comes as the United States is seeking to reassure allies of its commitment to the region amid fallout from the Afghanistan withdrawal and the chaotic fall of Kabul. Speaking in Singapore on Tuesday, Vice-President Kamala Harris took aim at China, saying it posed a threat to Asian nations but that the US would not force them to choose between the world’s two largest economies.

Harris also identified China’s “unlawful” territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea as a key regional threat. “Beijing’s actions continue to undermine the rules-based order and threaten the sovereignty of nations,” she said in the speech ahead of a visit to Vietnam.