# World Watch

By [DYLIT Media Buzz](https://dylit.info/user/dylitmediabuzz)

[GeoPulse](https://dylit.info/pr/geopulse/6a4e89c325b94158fd865a00) > [World Watch](https://dylit.info/ch/world-watch/6a4e89c325b94158fd865a04)

Taiwan Condemns Planned China-Indonesia Naval Exercise Taiwan's government has strongly condemned a naval exercise announced by China's Ministry of National Defense, in which a Chinese warship and an Indonesian navy frigate are due to carry out a "navigation exercise" in waters east of Taiwan in mid-August. Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, the top agency handling China policy, called the drill a "military provocation" that infringes on Taiwan's sovereignty and threatens regional security. The dispute has emerged while Taiwan holds its own annual Han Kuang military exercises, which simulate the island's response to a potential Chinese attack. Details of the Planned Exercise China's Ministry of National Defense said frigates from the two navies would carry out drills including communications exercises and maritime replenishment operations, describing the goal as strengthening joint operational capability and cooperation between the two forces. Officials identified the Chinese vessel as the Type 054A guided-missile frigate Honghe, though Beijing's announcement did not specify start or end dates, coordinates, or how close the ships would operate to Taiwan. Analysts note the activity is unusual because China rarely holds joint drills with foreign militaries in waters close to Taiwan, and this would mark the first such exercise conducted there. Taipei's Official Response Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council urged Beijing late Tuesday to halt the activity immediately, framing it as part of a broader pattern of what it called gray-zone pressure, including coast guard patrols and research-vessel activity inside Taiwan's exclusive economic zone. Separately, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had asked Indonesia to clarify the nature of its planned participation. Addressing lawmakers, Wu Tien-jen, assistant deputy chief of the general staff for intelligence, said the Indonesian vessel was roughly 70 to 80 nautical miles east of Taiwan and posed no direct military threat, though he said the move carried "geopolitical significance." Reactions From Beijing and Jakarta China's Eastern Theater Command later stated that the Honghe and the Indonesian frigate KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai-332 carried out activities including maritime communications, formation maneuvers and replenishment at sea, framing the exercise as evidence the two navies could cooperate and support regional stability. Indonesia's navy offered a different account: a spokesperson, First Admiral Tunggul, said the frigate was returning to Indonesia from a multinational exercise in Vladivostok, Russia, and was conducting a routine passing exercise — a "universal naval tradition" unrelated to combat training — without naming China or Taiwan directly. China's defense ministry did not immediately respond to Taiwan's criticism. Separately, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said Washington "urges Beijing to cease its continuous military pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan." Why the Location Matters Waters east of Taiwan open onto the wider Pacific Ocean, an approach regional security analysts view as significant because it lies beyond China's more heavily monitored western and southern flanks. China began coast guard patrols in the same waters in June 2026, actions that caused concern in Taipei and in Washington and other Western capitals. Taiwan and Indonesia maintain no formal diplomatic relations, though the two sides operate representative offices in each other's territories, and Taiwan is home to a large Indonesian migrant-worker population, underscoring the close economic ties that coexist alongside the current diplomatic friction.   Sources Taiwan slams China over planned drill with Indonesia east of Taiwan – Focus Taiwan (CNA) https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202608120002 Taiwan seeks Indonesia clarification over China-announced joint naval exercise – Focus Taiwan (CNA) https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202608120024 U.S. urges China to halt military pressure on Taiwan after naval drill – Focus Taiwan (CNA) Indonesia Says Navy Drill With China That Angered Taiwan Is Routine – Reuters via U.S. News https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202608130005 Related YouTube Videos Taiwan Launches Largest Han Kuang Military Drills Amid China Threat – WION https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2bheVL_yc4 China-Taiwan Tensions: Taiwan Builds A Drone Hellscape For China – WION News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbDpiDZ5xk0