Southeast Asian nations to hold navy drills in South China Sea.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is planning joint naval exercises in September, the first held by countries in the bloc on their own, near a disputed area of the South China Sea. The exercises are being planned for the waters of South Natuna, just outside the nine-dash line, which China uses to demarcate what it considers its maritime border. ASEAN members Cambodia and Myanmar declined to take part in the planning conference. The drills are being read by many as a signal to China, which has become increasingly aggressive in the disputed waters.