Indonesia-China naval drill raises neutrality concerns

On August 12, an Indonesian frigate briefly joined a naval exercise with China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) in waters off Taiwan's east coast, with Taipei asking Jakarta for a reason why it joined the drill.

Indonesian Navy frigate KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai joined the PLAN guided-missile frigate Honghe for what Jakarta described as a "passing exercise." The maneuvers took place during Taiwan's annual Han Kuang military drill.

An Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said they were fully aware that the exercise's location "made it particularly sensitive," but stressed that its vessel's presence "was simply part of its transit route back to Indonesia." According to the Taipei Times , the Indonesian vessel was returning from Vladivostok, Russia after an exercise with the Russian navy.

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council condemned Beijing's "provocation" after China announced the drill on August 11. Taipei also requested "further details from the Indonesian government" from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Beijing considers Taiwan to be Chinese territory and has vowed to "reunite" the self-ruled island with the mainland, by using force if necessary . The People's Liberation Army has ratcheted up pressure on Taiwan with frequent military exercises around the island, especially since former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei in 2022.

Amid reactions from Taipei and Washington, the Indonesian Navy stated that its activities with the Chinese Navy were "not warfighting activities in nature" and "not intended as combat training."

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Ying-Yu Lin, an associate professor at Taiwan's Tamkang University Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies, told DW that the Chinese exercise with Indonesia had little tactical significance.