Asean to hold first joint military exercise off Indonesia

An electric vehicle moves past the flags of countries attending the Asean meetings at the 42nd Asean Summit in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia in May 2023. - AP

JAKARTA (Reuters): The South-East Asian bloc Asean will hold its first-ever joint military exercise in the South China Sea, its chair Indonesia said on Thursday (June 8), the latest multilateral security drills at a time of rising tension and uncertainty in the region.

The decision was taken at a meeting of military commanders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Indonesia, which will host the exercise in the North Natuna Sea, the southernmost waters of the South China Sea.