China's military conducted a combined naval and air exercise around a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, a move likely to raise tensions with rival claimants in the region. The drills come amid a long-running standoff over sovereignty in the contested waters.

China's People's Liberation Army conducted a combined naval and air exercise around a disputed shoal in the South China Sea this week, according to defense officials, in a show of force likely to raise tensions with rival claimants in the region. The drills involved warships and military aircraft operating in waters also claimed by the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations.

The exercise is the latest episode in a long-running standoff over sovereignty in the contested waters, where China's expansive territorial claims overlap with those of several neighboring countries. Beijing has previously used similar exercises to assert its presence around disputed reefs and shoals, often prompting protests from claimant governments and expressions of concern from the United States.

Regional governments have not yet issued formal responses to this week's drills. Analysts say the exercise underscores the risk of miscalculation in the South China Sea, where naval and coast guard vessels from multiple countries operate in close proximity amid the unresolved territorial dispute.

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