Five countries are set to hold multinational military exercises in the disputed South China Sea this month in what military analysts said will be the latest display of strength aimed at Beijing's armed forces.

Military troops from Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Britain will take part in a three-week large scale military exercises dubbed "Exercise Bersama Lima" in one of the world's busiest waterways organized by Singapore.

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The military war games will include the army, navy and air force troops from the participating countries which Singapore said were aimed at strengthening regional security in the region and enhancing disaster relief operations skills.

Armed Attack

The multilateral exercises will be held under the participating countries' military pact, known as the Five Power Defense Arrangements, which requires its members to come to the rescue of Malaysia or Singapore in case of an armed attack against either of the two nations.

The Indonesian military will also hold large-scale military exercises in the Natuna Island region in the disputed sea this month.

Increasing tensions between China and its neighbors have sparked concerns of a looming conflict in the South China Sea region.

Island building

Despite the arbitral court ruling rejecting its claims to the South China Sea, China continues to build artificial islands on contested territories.

The ruling said China violated the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Philippines' rights to explore its resources within its exclusive economic zone.

China has rejected the ruling, dismissing it as 'illegal' and 'null and void.'

Military analysts said China has increased its deployments of heavily-armed Coast Guard  vessels to patrol the shipping lanes through which $5 trillion of ship-borne trade passes through each year.

Tagsmultinational military exercises, South China Sea, Natuna Islands, unclos, artificial islands, Chinese Coast Guard, china