Indonesia’s navy has described a joint naval exercise with China near waters east of Taiwan as a routine maritime activity, rejecting concerns that it was linked to preparations for war.
The Indonesian clarification came after Taiwan condemned the exercise as a dangerous military provocation, while China described the activity as a “navigation exercise”.
China’s military said Chinese and Indonesian naval vessels completed the exercise on Wednesday morning in waters east of Taiwan. The drill involved maritime communications, formation manoeuvring and at-sea replenishment, which Beijing said demonstrated the two countries’ willingness to cooperate and promote regional peace.
Indonesian Navy spokesman Tunggul said the Indonesian warship I Gusti Ngurah Rai was conducting routine “passing exercises” with the navies of several countries, including China, Japan and the United States Seventh Fleet, while returning from a visit to Russia.
He described such exercises as a longstanding naval tradition carried out when vessels pass through another country’s maritime area, rather than an activity related to combat operations.
The Chinese announcement nevertheless drew a strong response from Taipei. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council described the exercise as a “military provocation” and accused Beijing of using the activity to create the impression that China exercises jurisdiction over waters east of Taiwan.
A senior Taiwanese security official said navies from different countries routinely conduct similar passing exercises, arguing that China had presented a normal interaction as a strategically significant joint operation.
Taiwanese military intelligence official Wu Tien-jen also said the Indonesian warship was returning home via Japan and had not travelled specifically to participate in the exercise.
He said the vessel was approximately 70 to 80 nautical miles from Taiwan’s eastern coast in the Pacific Ocean and that the activity posed no direct military impact on Taiwan, although it carried geopolitical significance.
China, however, defended the exercise. Military expert Zhang Junshe, quoted by state-backed Global Times, said the participation of foreign vessels in exercises in waters China claims as its jurisdiction was normal and reasonable.
The development comes as Taiwan conducts its annual Han Kuang military exercises, which simulate responses to a potential Chinese attack. Beijing claims Taiwan as its territory and regularly conducts military activities around the island.
Indonesia does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, although more than 300,000 Indonesian migrant workers live on the island.
Taiwan maintains that its future should be decided by its own people and has repeatedly condemned Beijing’s growing military pressure.
