The Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army has conducted a combat preparedness patrol in the South China Sea, to uphold peace and stability in the region, it announced on Tuesday.

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Following the annual military training schedule on Monday and Tuesday, a fleet of warships was deployed to carry out combat readiness patrols in the relevant waters of the South China Sea, the Southern Theater Command said.

The primary objective of the patrol is to bolster joint operational capabilities and resolutely safeguard peace and stability in the region, it added.