The joint military exercise for members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is scheduled for September 18-25. The drills were originally going to occur within the southern border of the South China Sea, which is claimed and monitored by multiple nations. China’s claim to sovereignty over the sea rests in the nine-dash line, which was found to have no legal basis by an international court.
Indonesian Military Spokesperson Julius Widjojono stated that the exercises will now occur in the Indonesian waters of the South Natuna Sea. He noted that the exercise is not focused on combat. Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, and Malaysia all have territorial disputes with China, while Cambodia and Myanmar have strong connections to China and have not attended recent ASEAN meetings. ASEAN seeks to solidify a maritime code of conduct with China, but U.S.-China rivalry in the South China Sea has complicated this endeavor. The military of Indonesia said the decision to change locations was not the result of intervention by other nations.
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