China and Indonesia Announce First-Ever Joint Naval Drill in Waters East of Taiwan
Nashnova编辑部
China's defense ministry said on August 12 that the PLA Navy will hold a joint "navigation exercise" with Indonesia's navy in waters east of Taiwan — the first time Beijing has publicly brought a foreign military into this sensitive zone, signaling a shift from unilateral presence toward multilateral institutionalization.
What exactly will they practice?
The Chinese vessel is the Type 054A frigate Honghe, assigned to the Eastern Theater Command and commissioned in 2022. The drill focuses on communications and at-sea replenishment.
Beijing's stated goal: "enhance joint operational capability, deepen practical cooperation, and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability."
The ministry disclosed no start date, end date, coordinates, or route. This means → outside observers cannot gauge the drill's real scale, and that information asymmetry is itself part of the signal.
Why east of Taiwan?
The waters east of Taiwan are the key corridor linking the western Pacific — and the route U.S. and Japanese fleets would use to approach Taiwan from the open ocean.
After Japan and the Philippines announced consultations on maritime disputes in the area, China sent coast-guard vessels and ships from multiple government agencies, and for the first time questioned foreign merchant ships to assert sovereignty.
In plain terms = Beijing's logic is straightforward: if others discuss security arrangements in these waters, China will demonstrate — with a partner on board — that it is present too.
Why Indonesia?
China and Indonesia have held joint drills before, but never publicly east of Taiwan — that is what makes this a genuine first.
Indonesia has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, yet more than 300,000 Indonesian workers live on the island, making the economic link significant.
This reflects Beijing's calculus in choosing a partner: pick a country with no diplomatic relationship with Taiwan but real weight in Southeast Asia — low political friction, high optics of "regional consensus."
What does this mean in the bigger picture?
Since former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's 2022 visit to Taipei, China has staged multiple large-scale exercises around Taiwan and normalized sending warships and aircraft across the Taiwan Strait median line.
Taiwan has been rehearsing blockade-breaking scenarios, warning that sealing off surrounding waters would cut energy supplies for the entire region.
This means → until now, Beijing's military moves around Taiwan have been a solo act. Bringing Indonesia into a joint drill east of Taiwan is an attempt to upgrade unilateral pressure into multilateral presence — if more countries join, the power dynamic in these waters shifts from a U.S.–China standoff to a far more complex, multi-party contest.
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