The Komodo naval drills bring together 49 countries including sworn geopolitical rivals such as North and South Korea, and India and Pakistan. Experts say Indonesia is quietly filling the role of neutral go-between for a region scored by competing claims to seas and territories.

A Western-led push to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine dominated Tuesday's Group of 20 summit on the Indonesian island of Bali where leaders of major economies grappled with a dizzying array of issues from hunger to nuclear threats.