PLA holds first joint naval drill with Indonesia in waters east of Taiwan

The People’s Liberation Army and Indonesian forces have held joint naval exercises east of Taiwan, signalling deeper military ties between Beijing and Jakarta. Wednesday’s drill featured the PLA Navy’s Type 054A frigate Honghe and the Indonesian Navy frigate KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai, the PLA Eastern Theatre Command said in a statement on its official social media account. The training covered maritime communications, formation manoeuvres, at-sea replenishment and a passing exercise, the PLA said. According to the statement, Chinese crew members used tactical signals and signal flags to communicate and coordinate commands with their Indonesian counterparts. The two navies “manoeuvred flexibly and coordinated closely”, successfully completing all planned exercise objectives. The exercise “fully demonstrated the positive willingness and operational capabilities of both sides to engage in practical cooperation and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability,” it added. The statement did not specify the distance of the exercise area from the Taiwanese coast. The exercise marks the first time the PLA has conducted drills with a foreign navy in the area, although the announced activities did not appear to involve combat operations. The Indonesian Navy said on Wednesday the drills were not designed for “warfighting” but were merely “passing exercises” consistent with the country’s non-aligned foreign policy. Taiwanese authorities on Tuesday protested against the exercise plan after it was announced by Beijing’s defence ministry, labelling it a “provocation”. The naval exercise follows intensified enforcement patrols east of the self-ruled island since June by mainland Chinese government vessels, including coastguard, maritime administration and search-and-rescue ships. A China Coast Guard fleet was reported to have come within 32 nautical miles (59km) off Hualien, home to a major airbase. The coastguard said the patrols had been launched in response to Japan and the Philippines announcing plans to begin negotiations on maritime delimitation in waters east of Taiwan, which “seriously violated” Beijing’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China, to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the United States, do not see the island as an independent state, but many oppose any forcible change to the status quo. Washington is also committed to supplying Taiwan with weapons for its defence. As cross-strait tensions have grown in recent years, the PLA has stepped up activities around Taiwan, including significant deployments in waters east of the island during several large-scale live-fire exercises. Yet PLA fighter sorties near Taiwan dropped to a three-year low in the first half of this year, a shift experts attribute in part to a thaw in US-China relations. In the meantime, tensions persist between China and two US allies in the neighbourhood – Japan and the Philippines. Sino-Japanese relations have been strained by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks last year suggesting Tokyo could intervene militarily in a conflict in the Taiwan Strait. Meanwhile, frequent confrontations in the disputed South China Sea continue to worsen ties between Beijing and Manila. The US, Japan and the Philippines have increased military activities this year, holding multiple joint maritime drills including exercises near the Philippines’ northernmost islands, close to Taiwan. Beijing has sought to strengthen military ties with other major regional powers, including Russia. Last week, Tokyo expressed serious concern after Chinese and Russian warships encircled the country in a joint patrol. Beijing has also pursued better defence ties with Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s biggest economy and most populous country. Last week, the Chinese Type 071 amphibious transport dock ship Kunlunshan and the Qi Jiguang training ship completed a joint maritime training exercise with the Indonesian Navy off Tanjung Perak Port in East Java, following a four-day friendship visit to Surabaya. During the visit, representatives of China and the East Java provincial government discussed expanding industrial and shipbuilding cooperation, according to local media.

PLA holds first joint naval drill with Indonesia in waters east of Taiwan

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}As Washington and its allies tighten cooperation in the region, Beijing steps up defence ties with Southeast Asia’s biggest economy

As Washington and its allies tighten cooperation in the region, Beijing steps up defence ties with Southeast Asia’s biggest economy