[1/2] Indonesian soldiers attend the opening ceremony of a joint-military drills ASEAN Solidarity Exercise at Batu Ampar port on Batam island, Indonesia, September 19, 2023, in this photo taken by Antara Foto.
Antara Foto/Teguh Prihatna/ via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsBATAM, Indonesia, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Units from the countries of ASEAN began their first ever joint military drills in Indonesia's South Natuna Sea amid rising geopolitical tensions between major powers and protests against China's activities in the South China Sea.
The training is more about social activities," Yudo Margono, Indonesia's military chief, told reporters after the opening ceremony on the Indonesian island of Batam on Tuesday.
The exercises were originally set to take place in the southernmost waters of the South China Sea, which are also claimed by Beijing.
ASEAN has been discussing a Code of Conduct on the South China Sea for more than twenty years with little progress to date.
Persons:
Antara, Ferdinand Marcos, Indonesia's Margono, Ananda Teresia, Christian Schmollinger
Organizations:
ASEAN, REUTERS Acquire, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, East, ASEAN Summit, Thomson
Locations:
Batu Ampar, Indonesia, South Natuna, South China, East Timor, Indonesian, Batam, Beijing, The Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Jakarta, Philippine, Philippines, ASEAN