BEIJING, August 15. /TASS/. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Tuesday will conduct drills in the South China Sea, the Guangdong maritime safety administration said on Monday.

The drill will be held from 12:00 to 18:00 local time (07:00am to 13:00 Moscow time). Civilian ships are banned from entering the zone of the drills.

A delegation of US lawmakers - five members of Congress from both parties - arrived in Taiwan on Sunday evening on an unannounced two-day visit. Their arrival on the island triggered strong criticism from Beijing and the beginning of another exercise by the People's Liberation Army of China in the region.

Tensions in the Taiwan Strait escalated sharply after US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi traveled to Taipei on August 2-3. The Chinese armed forces responded by conducting large-scale military drills with live rocket launches in six areas around the island.