Chinese military conducts patrols in parts of South China Sea - state media

BEIJING (Reuters) - The Chinese military conducted combat readiness patrols in parts of the South China Sea from Monday to Tuesday, Chinese state media reported, in an extension of rare military drills and exercises in the region over the weekend.

The Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) conducted combat readiness patrols in efforts to improve combat capabilities and maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea region, according to state media reports.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea despite overlapping claims in the busy waterway by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

In 2016 the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled that China's claims were not supported by international law, a decision that Beijing rejects.

(Reporting by Ryan Woo; Editing by Tom Hogue)