PLA to hold first joint naval drill with Indonesia in waters east of Taiwan
The People’s Liberation Army would conduct joint naval training with Indonesia in waters east of Taiwan, Beijing’s defence ministry announced on Tuesday. Scheduled for mid-August, the drill will feature the Chinese navy’s Type 054A frigate Honghe and the Indonesian Navy frigate KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai, focusing on communications and at-sea replenishment, according to a statement by the ministry.…
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has announced plans to conduct joint naval training exercises with Indonesia in waters east of Taiwan, according to a statement released by Beijing's defense ministry on Tuesday. The mid-August drill will involve the Chinese navy's Type 054A frigate Honghe and the Indonesian Navy frigate KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai.
The focus of the exercise will be on enhancing communications and at-sea replenishment capabilities, with the goal of deepening practical cooperation between the two navies and maintaining regional peace and stability. This marks the PLA's first joint drill with a foreign navy in the region, though the planned activities do not involve combat operations.
Taiwan has protested against the exercise plan, deeming it a "provocation". The naval drills come amid heightened enforcement patrols by Chinese government vessels east of Taiwan since June, which Beijing views as a response to Japan and the Philippines announcing plans for maritime delimitation negotiations.
Written by urgent.news from Reuters Business via SCMP's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
