Why ASEAN matters - in the era of great power competition

[Ananda]

Indonesia moves site of ASEAN military drills away from South China Sea

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 territorial claims, its military said on Thursday.

www.reuters.com

Well this ASEAN naval exercise that Indonesia initiate the idea, seems need some compromise. Especially Cambodia and Myanmar disagree on the idea, then change their stance toward more neutral exercise regimes.

This seems work as the exercises that before aim to be conducted in North Natuna Sea (part of Indonesian EEZ in SCS), now being move to South Natuna Sea which is still close to SCS but part of Indonesian water.



To give the idea, this is Indonesian Map of Natuna Sea (Laut Natuna). North Natuna Sea (Laut Natuna Utara) is Indonesian EEZ north of Natuna Islands bordering Malaysian and Vietnam EEZ. This is more or less part of SCS. While South Natuna Sea is what in that map call Laut Natuna which is part of Indonesian teritorial water.

The regimes of exercise now build on non combatan ones, thus more on Naval civic duties roles. Well it is compromise to bring all ASEAN navies together. This is just for a neutral regimes exercises, still already need some compromise.

 

[Ananda]

Quite interesting discussion on what ASEAN latest foreign minister meeting, which also bring FM from US, China, Russia, Japan, ROK and Australia. Basically players that matters on Asia Pacific interactions.

ASEAN will not be EU or NATO, ASEAN will try to find their own places not to be dictate by major players and stay and the middle. Try stay in the middle is basically that can make ASEAN continues relevancy.

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

ASEAN Solidarity Exercise in Natuna (ASEX-01 N) 2023' is the first multilateral naval exercise to be carried out exclusively for navies in the ASEAN bloc and it started yesterday.

A harbour phase of the exercise began on 18 September in Batam and a sea phase is being held from 20 to 23 September in and around Laut Natuna.

ASEAN navies omit live-firing activities at inaugural joint exercise

Navies at the inaugural Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) multilateral naval exercise will not take part in any live-firing serials throughout the activity,...

www.janes.com

 

[Ananda]

Supply chains may be moving out of China and into Asia — but they aren't really decoupling from the country

Trade data suggests China's manufacturers are assembling fewer end products there and instead shipping materials to Southeast Asia for final assembly.

www.businessinsider.com

"The production chain decoupling that actually not a really a decoupling"

That's the main massage if this article, and basically as what happen. Especially for ASEAN, the production off shoring/relocation from China, only make many of this relocation still being integral part of production ecosystems with China.