US Army chief seeks closer security ties with Indonesia amid tensions in South China Sea

By NINIEK KARMINI
Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — U.S. Army Chief of Staff James McConville has met with Indonesia’s top defense official to push for stronger security ties amid growing Chinese maritime activity in the Indo-Pacific region. McConville says he and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto discussed ways to deepen cooperation, including enhanced joint military exercises. Subianto says peace and stability are “our common concern,” but stressed Indonesia’s neutral stance, saying it wants to maintain relationships with all nations. On Thursday, Southeast Asian leaders met in Indonesia for a summit at which territorial disputes in the South China Sea were high on the agenda. China claims virtually all of the sea, which is also claimed in part by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.