Site of first Asean military drills moved away from SCS
JAKARTA — Indonesia has changed where it will host the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (Asean) first-ever joint military exercise to a location away from the South China Sea (SCS) where several countries, including China, have overlapping territorial claims, its military said on Thursday.
The non-combat drills for members of the Asean were originally set to take place in the southernmost waters of the South China Sea, which are also claimed by Beijing.
But the Sept. 18 to Sept. 25 exercise will now be moved out of the strategic waterway altogether to the South Natuna Sea in Indonesian waters, said military spokesperson Julius Widjojono.“This exercise is focused not on combat, so it is best suited for the south that is in direct contact with the people,” he said, adding the drills will be held in and around Batam Island at the mouth of the Malacca Strait.
Asean’s unity has for years been tested by a rivalry between the United States and China that is being played out in the South China Sea, a conduit for about $3.5 trillion of annual shipborne trade.
Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, and Malaysia have competing claims with Beijing, which asserts sovereignty over vast stretches of ocean that include parts of Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone.
China claims sovereignty over the area via an expansive “nine-dash line” based on its old maps, which an international arbitration court in 2016 ruled had no legal basis.
‘No intervention’
Asean has been pushing to complete a long-awaited maritime code of conduct with China, and several of its members have had run-ins with Beijing in recent months.
The military of Indonesia, which chairs Asean this year, said the decision to move the location was an independent one and that there was “no intervention” from other countries.
It also said Cambodia and Myanmar did not respond to an invitation to a preparation meeting for the exercise held on Monday among Asean countries. Both Myanmar’s junta leaders and Cambodia have close ties with China.
‘Historic meeting’
In Washington, the chiefs of the coast guards of the Philippines and the United States held a “historic meeting” to strengthen their commitment to enhance “efficient maritime governance that prioritizes safety at sea, upholds significant international laws and regulations, and safeguards the marine environment.”
“In a groundbreaking event aimed at advancing the alliance, Admiral Artemio Abu, the Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) was warmly received by Admiral Linda Fagan at the US Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington DC,” PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said in a Twitter post on Thursday.
The talks followed the first-ever coast guard drills among the Philippines, United States, and Japan early this month, highlighting the growing three-way security partnership of the three allies.
At a press briefing in May, Fagan—the first female to lead a branch of the US armed services—said the US coast guard aimed to expand its presence in the region and to assist partner countries with their maritime challenges.
Upholding rule of law
The US Coast Guard’s efforts come amid China’s increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea, usually through the deployment of its coast guard and maritime militia to harass other claimants, including the Philippines.
“We take our role as a global coast guard quite seriously and we welcome the opportunity to partner and work with allies and partners, and help countries create capacity and capability to enforce their own sovereignty and ensure and uphold the rule of law,” Fagan said last month. —REPORTS FROM REUTERS AND FRANCES MANGOSING
READ: Philippine coast guard holds drills in disputed South China Sea
