India, ASEAN plan joint drills in South China Sea

New Delhi, May 1

The inaugural ASEAN India Maritime Exercise (AIME-2023) will commence tomorrow in Singapore with its sea phase scheduled to be conducted in the South China Sea.

Taking on beijing

Brunei, the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia are locked in a long-running dispute with China over maritime claims in region

Indian Navy warships INS Satpura and INS Delhi will participate in the weeklong programme, which will include a two-day sea phase in the South China Sea. The harbour phase of the exercise will be held at Changi Naval Base, Singapore.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) includes Singapore, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar. Four of these — Brunei, Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia — are locked in dispute with China over demarcation of maritime territorial limits in the South China Sea. Taiwan is the sixth country that is party to the dispute. China has refused to accept the ICJ verdict which has laid down maritime territorial limits for these countries.