Philippine forces practised retaking an island in the South China Sea Wednesday in the first such combat exercise in the disputed waters as Chinese navy ships kept watch from a distance, the Philippine military chief said.

In recent months, China has deployed navy, coast guard and so-called maritime militia forces – allegedly Chinese fishing vessels – in a bid to bar the Philippines from a trio of strategically important reefs and islands in the South China Sea.

China has rapidly expanded its military and has become increasingly assertive in pursuing territorial claims in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety.

The Philippine military has opened two weeks of combat drills that will include seizing an island in the disputed South China Sea and likely be frowned upon by China.