China's navy will temporarily seal off part of the Yellow Sea to maritime traffic for "large-scale" military purposes, authorities announced, ahead of the upcoming 90th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

The area stretching from Qingdao, Shandong Province to Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province - two major shipping ports - will be closed to all vessels from 8 am on Thursday until 6 pm on Saturday, according to a WeChat post by the Weihai Evening Post.

A map illustrating the restricted area - which covers approximately 40,000 square kilometers - was included in the report, which was sourced to a PLA troop codenamed 91208 and the Shandong Maritime Safety Administration.

The report also called on fishermen to spread the news for security reasons.

It also mentioned that August I marks the 90th anniversary of the founding of the PLA and "we should applaud the Chinese navy."

Global Times