Taiwan Condemns China-Indonesia Naval Drill as 'Dangerous'
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council condemned the planned mid-August drill as a "military provocation," accusing Beijing of "political manipulation" aimed at creating a false impression that China has jurisdiction over waters east of Taiwan.
- China's defense ministry announced on Aug 11 a "navigation exercise" with an Indonesian navy ship east of Taiwan — a rare instance of Beijing holding a drill with a foreign military so close to the island.
- Wu Tien-jen, Taiwan's assistant deputy chief of the general staff for intelligence, told lawmakers the Indonesian warship was simply returning from Japan and sat 70–80 nautical miles off Taiwan's east coast in the Pacific, assessing the move as geopolitically significant but not a direct military threat.
- Taiwan has formally requested clarification from Indonesia on the ship's role; Indonesia has no formal diplomatic ties with Taipei but is home to more than 300,000 Indonesian migrant workers there.
- US Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby met Indonesian Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin in Jakarta on Aug 11, the same day Beijing announced the drill; Sjafrie told Colby expanded US-Indonesia defense cooperation does not aim to establish a US base.
- China began coast guard patrols off Taiwan's east coast in June, the latest in a series of moves Taipei says undermine the cross-strait status quo; the drill announcement came as Taiwan runs its annual Han Kuang war games simulating repelling a Chinese attack.
Why it matters: Taipei's intelligence chief publicly downplayed the military weight of the drill by pointing out the Indonesian ship was already sailing home from Japan — flagging that Beijing's play here is geopolitical optics, not naval capability. With Indonesia hosting 300,000 Taiwanese-based migrant workers and no diplomatic ties to Taipei, Jakarta's quiet participation or refusal will be read across Southeast Asia as a signal about how far neighbors will go in validating China's claim over waters east of Taiwan. The timing, coinciding with both Han Kuang war games and a senior US defense visit to Jakarta, turns an otherwise routine transit into a test of regional alignment.
Ask SkimNews
