China said Tuesday it is seriously concerned about a scheduled joint naval drill between the United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) in the Yellow Sea.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang made the remarks at a regular press conference.

"We have expressed our serious concern to the relevant parties, and will closely follow the development of the matter," Qin said.

The relevant parties should refrain from doing things that might escalate tensions and harm the security interests of the countries in the region, Qin noted.

The four-day anti-submarine drills were originally scheduled for last month, as part of the response to the sinking of an ROK warship in late March, which killed 46 sailors.

The ROK announced in May that the navy warship was torpedoed by a submarine of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), but the DPRK immediately denied involvement in the incident, saying the investigation results were fabricated.

According to latest reports, the military exercise may be conducted after any possible UN action against the DPRK over the warship issue.

Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, expressed objection to the joint drill last week.