South-East Asian nations move ahead with plan for navy drills near disputed area of South China Sea


Naval-exercise-reuters

MANILA/JAKARTA, June 20 (AP) : The Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) is moving ahead with plans for joint naval exercises in September, the first held by countries in the bloc on their own, at a time when several are responding more strongly to increasing Chinese assertiveness in the area.

The Indonesian military said Tuesday that Asean member countries held an initial planning conference for the joint exercises, to be held Sept. 18-25 near a disputed area of the South China Sea, despite skepticism from Cambodia.

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