China has deployed a network of drones to monitor uninhabited, hard-to-reach islands and the vast open waters of the South China Sea, Yahoo! News reports.  

The drone communication chain has “extremely enhanced our dynamic surveillance of the South China Sea, and expanded our reach to the high seas,” the South China Sea Bureau Ministry of Natural Resources said on its website.

China claims the vast majority of the South China Sea, though Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam have claimed some of the waters, islands, rocks, reefs, and submerged shoals.

The waterway is one of the world’s busiest trading routes.

China says the air-land drone system has been used in maritime administration and consists of numerous unmanned aerial vehicles carrying high-definition cameras.

The drones can “inspect waters for suspicious signs, investigate historical problem sites, and monitor the sea and islands in real time,” the bureau said.

“It will play a significant role in cases of disaster observation and emergency response, such as oil spill accidents or red tide algal outbreaks.”

• Duterte Arrives in Beijing to Raise South China Sea with Xi
• John Bolton Rips China for 'Coercive Behavior, Bullying'