The three-week exercise, which began today, provides an opportunity for the five countries to improve integration and interoperability.

The exercise, known as “Exercise Bersama Lima 16” includes navy, army and air force servicemen from the participating nations.

Xinhua quoted the Commander Joint Forces New Zealand Major General Tim Gall as saying that strengthening the professional relationships with these countries was important to ensure interoperability.

The countries make up the Five Power Defence Arrangements military pact, which requires members to consult each other and take action if there is an attack on Malaysia or Singapore.

According to a report in the International Business Times (IBT), this year’s exercise is also to tell China to back off on its claims to disputed territory in the South China Sea.

Indonesia’s armed forces also planned to hold large scale military exercises this month with all of its three service branches in the Natuna Islands region in the South China Sea, added the IBT report.

The IBT report said growing tensions between China and its neighbouring nations had sparked concern about a looming conflict in the region over the disputed South China Sea.

China, it noted, had increasingly sent more heavily armed coast guard vessels to patrol the shipping lane that carried up to USD5 trillion in trade every year.

China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and the Philippines have competing territorial and jurisdictional claims, particularly over rights to exploit the region’s possibly extensive reserves of oil and gas.