China has conducted a set of regular military exercises near the Korean Peninsula, according to China's defense ministry and state media Saturday.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army began eight days of "military missions" Friday in the northern parts of the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Strait, adjacent to the Korean Peninsula, the Chinese defense ministry said in a notice posted on its website.

China's maritime authorities banned all civilian vessels from sailing in the affected waters, according to the notice.

According to the state-run China News Service, an unspecified number of troops of the Shenyang Military Area Command, one of seven Chinese regional military commands, which is in charge of defending the border with North Korea, has started regular winter drills on the Chinese side of Mt. Paekdu, the peninsula's highest peak.

The drills near the mountain were aimed at "enhancing tactical operations during the cold winter season," reports said. (Yonhap)