Indonesia invites US, Russia, China, North Korea to joint military exercise

According to the South China Morning Post, the Komodo naval exercise hosted by Indonesia will take place in the Makassar Strait, the area between Borneo island and Sulawesi island from June 5 to 8.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo is expected to open the event.

Indonesian Navy special forces leave a ship after a patrol near the ASEAN summit venue in East Nusa Tenggara province last month. Photo: EPA-EFE

Forces from 49 countries including the US, Russia, China, South Korea, North Korea, India, Pakistan... will participate in drills to respond to humanitarian disasters and rescue at sea.

This is described as a rare moment of cooperation in a period of diplomatic tensions and increasingly fierce defense competition across the Asia- Pacific . Among the participating countries are many countries in a confrontation for many years such as North Korea - South Korea, India - Pakistan...

The event comes days after the Shangri-La Dialogue defense conference in Singapore ended in a tense standoff between the US and Chinese defense ministers.

Experts say Indonesia - which chairs ASEAN and deftly handled last year's G20 meeting in Bali - has quietly fulfilled its role as a mediator in a region with competing claims to waters and territory.

An avowedly neutral country committed to a "free and active" foreign policy, Indonesia appears intent on playing a larger international role befitting its position as Southeast Asia's largest economy and the world's fourth most populous country.

Asked by This Week in Asia whether tensions with Russia and China could cause friction during the Komodo exercise, a US Navy spokesman said they respected the Indonesian government's ability to choose which countries would participate.

"The United States will continue to work with partners, such as Indonesia, to ensure that the region remains open and accessible, and that its waters and airspace are managed and used in accordance with international law," the US representative affirmed.

Also this week, a series of naval exercises are taking place involving the Philippines, the United States and Japan. Philippine authorities insist that there is nothing unusual about the exercises.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/thoi-su-quoc-te/indonesia-moi-duoc-my-nga-trung-quoc-trieu-tien-tap-tran-chung-20230605152010109.htm