JAKARTA: Indonesia has changed where it will host ASEAN's first-ever joint military exercise to a location away from the South China Sea where several countries including China have overlapping territori
to a location away from the South China Sea where several countries including China have overlapping territorial claims, its military said on Thursday .
The non-combat drills for members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations were originally set to take place in the southernmost waters of the South China Sea, which are also claimed by Beijing. But the Sep 18 to Sep 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.
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