August 12, 2026 | 01:23 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy and the Indonesian Navy (TNI) plan to conduct joint navigation exercises in waters east of Taiwan in mid-August, according to China’s Ministry of National Defense.
The Chinese Navy vessel Honghe will conduct the exercise with an Indonesian Navy frigate, the ministry said on its website, as accessed by Antara in Beijing on Wednesday.
The waters east of Taiwan face the Pacific Ocean and the Philippine Sea and are not located near Indonesia or the South China Sea.
The exercise will include communications drills and at-sea replenishment operations. The Chinese Defense Ministry said the activities are intended to improve the two navies’ ability to conduct joint operations, deepen practical cooperation and contribute to regional peace and stability.
The planned exercise comes shortly after the Philippines submitted an official maritime map to the United Nations outlining its normal baselines and the geographical scope of its maritime jurisdiction over Scarborough Shoal on July 29, 2026.
Manila said the move was aimed at strengthening transparency and legal certainty regarding its maritime rights.
China, Philippines Clash Over Scarborough Shoal
Scarborough Shoal, known as Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines and Huangyan Dao in China, is a ring-shaped coral reef located about 230 kilometers from the Philippines and roughly 1,000 kilometers from China’s Hainan Island.
China maintains that the shoal is inherently part of its territory.
Senior Colonel Chen Xi, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense, said on Friday, August 7, that China has continuously, peacefully and effectively exercised sovereignty and jurisdiction over Huangyan Dao.
“China is the only country entitled to establish the baselines of the territorial sea of Huangyan Dao under international law,” Chen said, according to the ministry.
He accused the Philippines of seriously violating China’s territorial sovereignty, international law and basic norms governing international relations by submitting the maritime map to the UN.
Chen described the Philippine move as illegal and lacking validity, saying China’s military activities were intended as a warning against what Beijing considers Philippine violations and provocations.
He added that China’s military exercises around Huangyan Dao were lawful and justified.
Chen also accused the Philippines of repeatedly using international law to expand its territorial and maritime claims through domestic legislation since gaining independence in 1946.
China-Indonesia Military Engagement
The planned exercise east of Taiwan also follows a visit by PLA Navy Task Force 83 to Surabaya, East Java, from August 2 to 6, 2026.
During the visit, the Chinese naval task force paid courtesy calls on Indonesian military and government officials. PLA cadets and military personnel also visited the Indonesian Naval Academy, where they took part in friendly sports competitions and a cultural exchange with Indonesian naval cadets.
While the PLA vessels were docked at Tanjung Perak Port, Indonesian citizens, Chinese nationals living in Indonesia and Indonesian military representatives were allowed to visit the training ship Qijiguang.
Chinese naval cadets also visited the Indonesian Navy’s training ship KRI Bima Suci, which has made three visits to China, in 2019, 2024 and May 2026.
The planned navigation exercise underscores growing naval engagement between China and Indonesia, while taking place against the backdrop of continuing maritime tensions between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea.
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