China and Russia will commence an eight-day naval drill in the disputed South China Sea on Monday, Beijing has announced.

In a statement released on Sunday, the Chinese navy said the “Joint Sea-2016” exercise, which is to be conducted in an area off China’s southeastern province of Guangdong, will feature ships, submarines, fixed-wing aircraft and ship-borne helicopters.

The two countries will carry out defense, rescue, and anti-submarine operations, as well as “island seizing” and other activities, the statement added.

Describing the joint exercise as “the largest operation ever” conducted jointly by the two countries, the Chinese navy further stressed that the forces will participate in live-fire drills, and island defense and landing operations.

The South China Sea is the subject of a territorial dispute between China and several regional countries.

In July, a Hague-based court of arbitration ruled that China’s claim of sovereignty over disputed areas in the sea or its resources had no legal basis. The case had been filed by the Philippines, whose economic and sovereign rights, the court said, had been violated by Beijing.

China has dismissed the ruling, saying it does not recognize the tribunal’s arbitration in the dispute.

Source: Websites