Taiwan has strongly condemned China’s plan to conduct a joint naval exercise with the Indonesian navy in waters east of Taiwan, announced by China’s defence ministry on Tuesday, August 12, 2026. The Chinese ministry described the drill as a "navigation exercise" with an Indonesian warship scheduled for mid-August but did not provide further details.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs labeled China’s actions as "wilful and irresponsible behaviour," stating it had "immediately sought clarification from all parties involved and requested Indonesia to provide further details." The ministry also criticized China’s announcement as "unilateral," asserting that only Beijing engages in such actions that threaten regional stability.

The Indonesian navy clarified that the exercise is part of the sea transit of the frigate KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai (GNR)-332 from Vladivostok, Russia, back to Indonesia, involving passing drills with countries along the route.

Experts highlighted the sensitivity of the exercise. David Andrews, a non-resident fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, described the passing exercise as "a fairly routine and unthreatening naval activity" but acknowledged it would make Taipei uneasy. Jennifer Parker, adjunct professor at the University of Western Australia Defence and Security Institute, noted the optics were "not great given China's recent activities to the east of Taiwan," including coastguard queries of commercial vessels beyond China's claimed jurisdiction.

A senior Taiwanese intelligence official, Wu Tien-jen, reported that the Indonesian frigate was approximately 80 nautical miles off Taiwan’s east coast. He stated the exercise has no direct military impact on Taiwan but carries "geopolitical significance."

China does not recognize Taiwan’s sovereignty and frequently operates militarily around the island, but joint exercises with foreign militaries near Taiwan are rare.

Sources