Chinese state media have aired footage of a joint naval exercise conducted with Indonesian forces in waters east of Taiwan, drawing a sharp rebuke from Taipei. The display of military cooperation has heightened anxieties in Taiwan, which sees the drills as part of Beijing’s broader efforts to expand its military footprint around the island.
The broadcast shows naval vessels from both countries sailing in formation, with Chinese and Indonesian officials framing the operation as routine bilateral training. Taiwan’s government, however, denounced the exercise as a provocative act that undermines regional stability, particularly in an area already marked by elevated military tensions.
Beyond the immediate display of force, Taiwanese authorities expressed concern that the drills reflect Beijing’s ambition to normalize its armed presence in the vicinity of Taiwan and tighten its control over vital shipping lanes that pass through the region. No official details have been released on the number of ships involved, the scale of the maneuvers, or how long the exercise lasted.