High above one of the most hotly contested regions in the world, journalists were given a rare look at the Chinese government’s rapidly expanding militarisation of the South China Sea.

China and several of its neighbours have been involved in a decades-long dispute over who controls the South China Sea. China claims most of the sea as its territory, but the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan say parts of the sea belong to them. Tensions have risen over the years and resulted in several confrontations as well as US involvement. The South China Morning Post looks at the origins of the dispute, what these countries are fighting over and what they’re doing to assert their territorial claims.

On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague ruled Beijing’s history-based territorial claims to the South China Sea lacked legal basis and were contrary to an international maritime convention.

Entry is for mainland citizens only - and even then, intense screenings apply. The destination is the South China Sea's disputed Paracel Islands, an area that has become the flashpoint of a global sovereignty row. As we count down to the United Nations ruling over China's claims to the waters, the SCMP joined a one-of-a-kind cruise for a sneak peek at one of the world's most unlikely tourist hotspots. Stay tuned for more exclusive reports in the coming days.

China Foreign Minister Wang Yi visits the Philippines for bilateral talks amid tensions in the South China Sea. 

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said US will conduct freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea again, although he gave no timeline for such actions.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino says he "sees no issue" in a U.S. warship's patrol in the disputed South China Sea and that he welcomes a balance of power in the region.

Beijing expresses its anger as a U.S. passes close to man-made islands in the disputed South China Sea. 

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says her country is not taking a position on competing claims to the South China Sea. 

Japanese military patrol plane circles over disputed territories, China warns against creating tension. (Photo: Kyodo) 

China says it will establish an air defense zone around disputed waters, based on the security situation in the South China Sea. (Photo: Reuters) 

The US and Japan say China's island-building in the South China Sea is eroding security and regional stability. (Photo: Reuters) 

The U.S. calls for a halt to land reclamation in disputed areas of the South China Sea ahead of the annual Shangri-La Dialogue security talks. (Photo: US Department of Defense)

The U.S. military's most advanced spy plane flies over the disputed South China Sea and gets into a tense radio exchange with the Chinese navy, which tells the plane to "go away!"

The United States and Japan "share a concern" about China's activities in the South China Sea, where Beijing has built an air strip and other structures on coral reefs, President Barack Obama said as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the White House. (Photo: Xinhua)

AT SEA, SOUTH CHINA SEA : Handout video shows a Chinese ship ramming and sinking a small Vietnamese fishing boat near the site of a disputed Chinese oil rig in the South China Sea.

SINGAPORE, Singapore : US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel warns Beijing against "destabilising actions" in the South China Sea, and backed its regional rival Japan's plans to take on a more muscular security role in Asia. Read the full story here.

The Hong Kong government issued an amber travel warning for Vietnam after protesters there vandalised hundreds of foreign-owned factories and torched at least 15 of them. The riots followed a large protest by workers on Tuesday against China's recent placement of an oil rig in disputed waters around the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. Read the full story here.

BRUNEI, Bandar Seri Begawan : Chinese Premier Li Keqiang calls for "peace, friendship and cooperation" in the South China Sea as he extends a hand to Southeast Asian leaders wary of Beijing's territorial claims in the strategic waters. Read the full story here.

PHILIPPINES, SAN ANTONIO : The Philippines and the United States launch war games at a naval base facing turbulent waters claimed by China, as the allies seek to highlight their expanding military alliance.

PHILIPPINES, Manila : Hundreds of Philippine activists accuse China of "gunboat diplomacy", demonstrating at a noisy Manila protest against the Asian giant's moves to stake its claims in the South China Sea.