JAKARTA, INDONESIA —
Amid regional tensions with China, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is planning its first joint military drill, finalizing on Thursday the location in Indonesia’s South Natuna Sea, according to the Indonesian military.
At the 20th ASEAN Chief of Defense Forces Meeting in Bali on June 7, 10 ASEAN military chiefs agreed to conduct routine joint training and coordinated patrols in waters of the South China Sea involving their army, naval and special forces from Sept. 18-25, despite skepticism from member state Cambodia.
The site was moved because several ASEAN member nations are in territorial disputes with China over the resource-rich South China Sea, according to Reuters.
“This exercise is focused not on combat, so it is best suited for the south that is in direct contact with the people,” said Indonesian military spokesperson Rear Admiral Julius Widjojono, adding that the drills will be held in and around Batam island at the mouth of the Malacca Strait, another strategic waterway for world trade.
On Monday, the Indonesian military gathered with ASEAN military delegates in the Indonesian capital city of Jakarta to discuss preparations for the exercises, including scenarios, equipment to be used and the drill’s location, according to a military press release.
The ASEAN exercise, named Solidarity, will be held as China is asserting its claim to areas of the South China Sea that are also claimed by Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines, all ASEAN member states. This year, Indonesia holds the rotating chair of the regional bloc.
“China believes that defense and security cooperation between countries needs to be conducive to regional peace and stability. They should not escalate tensions or undermine trust between countries, still less target any third party,” the spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, Liu Pengyu, told VOA on June 12.
ASEAN members Cambodia and Myanmar, which maintain close ties with China, did not participate in the planning conference on Monday, according to an Indonesian military spokesperson, Rudy Hernawan.
Source : VOA News
