United States had withdrawn the invitation to Chinese navy to participate in 2018 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) maritime exercise.
The withdrawal was in response to China’s continued illegal militarisation of islands in the disputed South China Sea.
RIMPAC 2019 is the 26th exercise of its type, after first being held in 1971.
The RIMPAC is the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise. It is held biennially near Honolulu, Hawaii (US) during June and July of even-numbered years.
It is hosted and administered by the United States Navy’s Pacific Fleet (headquartered at Pearl Harbor).