Taiwan condemns ‘dangerous’ drill for political manipulation
‘PROVOCATION’: The China-Indonesia joint exercise aims to create a false impression that China has jurisdiction over waters east of Taiwan, the Mainland Affairs Council said
By Ananda Teresia, Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee / Reuters, JAKARTA and TAIPEI
The Indonesian Navy yesterday said that joint naval exercises that China said took place east of Taiwan were routine and not related to “war fighting,” after Taipei expressed alarm and called them dangerous.
China in June began coast guard patrols off Taiwan’s east coast, causing anger in Taipei and concern in Washington and some other Western capitals.
The drill, which China described as a “navigation exercise,” was the first time the country has carried out such an operation with a foreign military in those waters.
A Chinese ship is pictured near Taiwan in an undated photograph.
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsien, Taipei Times
China’s military said Chinese and Indonesian navy vessels concluded the drill in the waters east of Taiwan yesterday morning.
The exercise included maritime communications, formation maneuvering and replenishment at sea, and demonstrated the two sides’ willingness to cooperate pragmatically and jointly safeguard regional peace, the Chinese military added.
The Indonesian Navy said earlier yesterday that its ship, the I Gusti Ngurah Rai, would conduct “passing exercises” with countries while on its way back from a visit to Russia which were not related to “war fighting.”
These were a “universal naval tradition conducted when transiting through another country’s maritime area,” Indonesian Navy spokesman Tunggul said, without directly mentioning China.
Late on Tuesday, the Mainland Affairs Council said the drill was a “military provocation” and Beijing should “immediately stop this dangerous behavior.”
“This is, in reality, political manipulation, ‘exercises in name, expansion in fact,’ aimed at creating a false impression before the international community that the Chinese communists have jurisdiction over waters east of Taiwan,” it added.
A senior Taiwanese security official said that China was characterizing a normal “passex,” or passing exercise, interaction as some kind of joint operation with military significance.
“In fact, navies from various countries do this routinely, and Taiwan is no exception,” added the official, speaking on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter.
Taking questions at the legislature yesterday, Major General Wu Tien-jen (吳天任), assistant deputy chief of the general staff for intelligence, said the Indonesian warship was on its way home via Japan and not there specifically to take part in the drill.
The ship was 70 to 80 nautical miles (129km to 148km) off Taiwan’s east, in the Pacific, he added.
“Militarily this does not have a direct impact on Taiwan,” he said. “It has a geopolitical significance.”
China’s state-backed Global Times cited military expert Zhang Junshe (張軍社) as saying the move shows the country’s sovereign rights over the waters east of Taiwan.
“Inviting foreign vessels to conduct training in waters under China’s jurisdiction is entirely normal and reasonable,” Zhang added.
Taiwan is holding its annual Han Kuang war games, where it simulates how to beat back an attempted Chinese attack.
China’s announcement came as US Undersecretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby met with Indonesian Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin at his Jakarta office on Tuesday.
Like most countries, Indonesia has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but Taiwan is home to more than 300,000 Indonesian workers.
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