(19 Oct 2018) Southeast Asian countries will hold their first joint maritime exercise with China in the waters surrounding Zhanjiang next week, Singapore's defence minister said on Friday.
Speaking at the start of the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers meeting, Ng Eng Hen said that the "full troop" exercise, which was first announced in August, comes after successful indoor "table-top" sessions and showcases the "centrality" of the ten-nation bloc.
The region's defence ministers also proposed a joint maritime exercise with the US next year.
They have gathered in Singapore, together with the US defence chief, Jim Mattis, and his Chinese counterpart, General Wei Feng, for the security conference this weekend.
On Thursday, a meeting between Mattis and Wei went on for longer than scheduled but no new agreements were reached.
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