Taiwan Wants to Know Why Indonesia Joined China in a Naval Exercise East of Taiwan
The exercise highlighted increasing tensions in the waters east of Taiwan, which are also close to Japan and the Philippines.
Taiwan has urged the Indonesian government to explain a joint naval exercise it conducted with China in waters east of Taiwan. On August 12, the Indonesian Navy's frigate KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai joined the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy's guided-missile frigate Honghe in practicing maritime maneuvers. These included formation, communications, and replenishment-at-sea drills.
The Indonesian government dismissed the exercise as non-threatening, describing it as a "goodwill engagement" and a "universal naval tradition." Meanwhile, China claimed the drills aimed to safeguard regional peace and stability. The exercise occurred within Taiwan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), raising concerns about cross-strait tensions.
The Indonesian vessel had previously participated in a bilateral exercise with the Russian navy and was en route to the Philippines' EEZ when the drills began. Analysts suggest the joint exercise may have been intended to counter increased maritime cooperation between the Philippines and Japan. China had previously ramped up patrols in Taiwan's EEZ following talks between the Philippines and Japan, which Beijing saw as undermining its sovereignty. Taiwan maintains its EEZ as its territorial claim, despite the partial overlap with China's.
Written by urgent.news from The Diplomat's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
