China and Russia began eight days of naval drills in the South China Sea on Monday, a sign of increasingly tight links between the world’s second and third largest militaries as they seek to counter US influence in the region.

The latest Chinese-Russian exercises, dubbed “Joint Sea-2016”, are the largest joint operations ever by the two navies, according to Chinese navy spokesman Liang Yang. “Island seizing” activities, including anti-submarine operations, will feature alongside live fire drills and island defence.

The manoeuvres — the fifth Sino-Russian joint naval exercises in various regions since 2012 — come at a time of increasing tension in the South China Sea. China claims 85 per cent of the contested waters as sovereign territory, while Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have competing claims.