Jakarta (ANTARA) – Foreign Affairs Ministry has affirmed that the joint exercise between the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy is part of maritime diplomacy and bilateral defense cooperation.
“For Indonesia, such interaction is part of maritime diplomacy. The sea is not merely a space connecting nations, but also a realm for building cooperation and mutual trust,” said Spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang during a media briefing in Jakarta on Thursday.
She noted that the “passing exercise” conducted by the Indonesian warship KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai-332 and the Chinese naval vessel Honghe is a standard practice among navies worldwide when warships traverse the waters of other nations.
The spokesperson emphasized that the joint exercise was highly limited in scope and was not intended as a combat drill.
“A passing exercise is not a combat exercise,” she asserted.
Mewengkang confirmed that the exercise between Indonesia and China aligns with Indonesia’s “free and active” foreign policy and its efforts to foster cooperation and constructive relationships with various partner nations.
Such exercises, she added, represent professional interaction between the Indonesian Navy and the navy of a friendly nation—in this case, China.
The Chinese Ministry of National Defense previously stated that the joint exercise with the Indonesian Navy concluded on Wednesday morning (Aug 12) local time, with all drills conducted in the waters east of Taiwan, facing the Pacific Ocean and the Philippine Sea.
According to the Chinese Ministry of National Defense website—accessed by ANTARA on Thursday—the Honghe and KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai-332 formed a naval formation and conducted exercises covering maritime communications, formation maneuvering, replenishment at sea, and a formation-separation ceremony.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Indonesian Navy Information Service, First Admiral Tunggul, stated that the passing exercise between Indonesia and China reflects the friendship between the two navies.
“A ‘passing exercise’ is a form of goodwill engagement commonly conducted by navies worldwide, serving as an expression of naval brotherhood and the maritime diplomacy inherent to warships,” Tunggul said.
The exercise took place while KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai-332 was sailing back to Indonesia after completing a joint exercise with the Russian Navy in Vladivostok.
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Translator: Nabil Ihsan, Cindy Frishanti Octavia
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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