Taiwan condemns planned Chinese navy drills with Indonesia as dangerous provocation

Taiwan’s government has strongly condemned planned Chinese naval drills with an Indonesian warship off its eastern coast, accusing Beijing of political manipulation to project fake territorial jurisdiction over international waters in the Pacific.

China’s Defence Ministry announced on Tuesday that it would conduct a joint “navigation exercise” with the Indonesian navy in mid-August in waters east of Taiwan. Joint exercises between Chinese forces and foreign militaries near Taiwan remain exceptionally rare.

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council called the announcement a military provocation, stating Beijing was attempting to create a false impression in the international community that it holds sovereign rights off Taiwan’s eastern coast.

Addressing parliament in Taipei on Wednesday, Wu Tien-jen, assistant deputy chief of the general staff for intelligence, clarified that the Indonesian vessel was currently returning from Japan rather than deploying specifically for joint drills with Beijing.

“Militarily this does not have a direct impact on Taiwan,” Wu said, adding that the vessel was operating 70 to 80 nautical miles off the coast. “It has a geopolitical significance.”

Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry confirmed it has requested formal clarification from Jakarta regarding its involvement. Indonesia, which maintains no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, has not issued an official response.

The dispute coincides with Taiwan conducting its annual Han Kuang military exercises to simulate defences against a potential Chinese invasion, as well as high-level defence meetings between US and Indonesian officials in Jakarta.