Taiwan condemned a planned mid-August joint naval drill between China and Indonesia in Pacific waters east of the island, calling the exercise a dangerous military provocation designed to project false territorial jurisdiction. Indonesia’s navy maintained the passing ship was simply returning from Russia on a routine, non-combat transit.
The People’s Liberation Army announced on Tuesday that it would conduct joint naval training with Indonesia in waters east of Taiwan during mid-August. The exercise marks the first time China has held a drill with a foreign military in those specific Pacific waters, bringing together the Chinese navy frigate Honghe and the Indonesian Navy frigate KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai to focus on communications and at-sea replenishment.
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council Condemns Political Manipulation
Late on Tuesday, Taiwan’s China-policy-making Mainland Affairs Council issued a strong rebuke, characterizing the upcoming operation as a direct challenge to the regional status quo. Officials in Taipei argued that the maneuver is part of a broader, coercive pattern following recent coast guard patrols launched by Beijing off the island’s eastern coast in June.
The council urged Beijing to immediately stop this dangerous behaviour. Taiwan’s foreign ministry also sought clarification from Jakarta regarding its participation, noting that Indonesia has no formal diplomatic ties with Taipei, though the island hosts more than 300,000 Indonesian migrant workers.
Jakarta Defends Routine Transit and Non-Aligned Foreign Policy
Indonesian naval authorities countered Taipei’s concerns by emphasizing that the deployment carries no combat intent. According to the Indonesian navy, the warship I Gusti Ngurah Rai is simply conducting passing exercises while returning from a port visit to Russia.
An Indonesian navy spokesperson identified as Tunggul explained that such drills represent a universal naval tradition conducted when transiting through another country’s maritime area, maintaining that the operations are entirely unrelated to war fighting and align with the nation’s non-aligned foreign policy stance.
Taking questions at parliament on Wednesday, Wu Tien-jen, assistant deputy chief of the general staff for intelligence, noted that the Indonesian vessel was already sailing home via Japan and was operating roughly 70 to 80 nautical miles off Taiwan’s eastern coast in the Pacific. Militarily this does not have a direct impact on Taiwan,
Wu said, acknowledging nevertheless that it has a geopolitical significance.
Broader Strategic Maneuvers Amid Annual War Games
The naval announcement coincided with high-level diplomatic and military engagements in Jakarta, where U.S. Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby met with Indonesian Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin. Amid regional concerns, Sjafrie assured officials that expanding defense cooperation with Washington does not entail establishing a permanent American military base in Indonesia.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s armed forces remain in the midst of annual Han Kuang war games, simulating defensive operations against potential attacks. While Beijing’s state-backed media cited military experts arguing that inviting foreign vessels to train in those waters is a normal assertion of sovereign rights, Taiwanese authorities continue to monitor surrounding sea lanes to safeguard national stability.
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