Taiwan condemned a planned mid‑August Chinese naval exercise with an Indonesian warship east of the island, calling it a "dangerous" attempt to suggest Beijing controls those waters. Taipei's Mainland Affairs Council labelled the move political manipulation and has asked Indonesia for clarification. Taiwan's military said the Indonesian ship was returning from Japan and located about 70–80 nautical miles east of Taiwan. The announcement comes as Taiwan holds its annual Han Kuang war games amid heightened Chinese patrols.
Taiwan Denounces Planned China–Indonesia Naval Drill East of Island as 'Dangerous' Political Manipulation
A Navy miniature is seen in front of displayed Chinese and Taiwanese flags in this illustration taken, April 11, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Taipei on Aug. 12 sharply condemned a planned mid‑August Chinese naval exercise to be held east of Taiwan alongside an Indonesian warship, calling the manoeuvre "dangerous" and accusing Beijing of trying to create the impression it controls waters off the island.
What Beijing Says
China's defence ministry described the operation as a "navigation exercise" to be conducted with an Indonesian navy vessel at an unspecified location east of Taiwan. Joint drills with foreign militaries so close to Taiwan are rare, and the announcement came amid a broader pattern of increasing Chinese patrols and activities around the island.
Taiwan's Response
Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, which shapes cross‑strait policy, called the planned drill a "military provocation" and urged Beijing to "immediately stop this dangerous behaviour that undermines the status quo." The council accused China of political manipulation — "exercises in name, expansion in fact" — aimed at persuading the international community that Beijing has jurisdiction over waters east of Taiwan.
"This is, in reality, political manipulation... aimed at creating a false impression before the international community," the council said.
Military and Diplomatic Details
Answering lawmakers in Taipei, Wu Tien‑jen, assistant deputy chief of the general staff for intelligence, said the Indonesian ship named by China was returning from Japan and was not specifically heading to a joint drill. He placed the vessel roughly 70–80 nautical miles east of Taiwan in the Pacific and said the operation had geopolitical significance even if it posed no direct military threat to Taiwan.
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has formally sought clarification from Jakarta about Indonesia's reported participation. Indonesia's navy and defence ministry did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.
Regional Context
The announcement arrived as Taiwan conducts its annual Han Kuang war games, exercises designed to simulate defence against a potential Chinese attack. It also coincided with a meeting in Jakarta between U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby and Indonesian Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, who said expanding defence ties with the U.S. did not signal plans for a U.S. military base in Indonesia.
China does not recognise Taiwan's government as sovereign and maintains near‑daily military activity around the island. Like most countries, Indonesia has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, though more than 300,000 Indonesian migrant workers live on the island. Taipei has repeatedly insisted only the Taiwanese people can decide their future and has condemned increased Chinese military pressure.
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