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China, Indonesia hold joint naval exercises near Jakarta
- Drills will ‘help improve coordination between the warships, deepen professional communication, enhance mutual trust and cooperation’, PLA commander says
- Military cooperation comes after China last week sent three ships to help in the search for the Indonesian submarine that sank in April
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China and Indonesia conducted joint naval exercises in waters off Jakarta, Beijing said on Sunday, as the two countries work to improve trust and cooperation amid tensions in the South China Sea.
The drills, which took place on Saturday morning, were part of the PLA Navy’s annual training programme, the defence ministry said.
China’s Liuzhou and Suqian guided-missile frigates joined Indonesia’s KRI Usman Harun frigate and KRI Halasan missile craft in the exercises, which included communication drills, search and rescue operations and formation manoeuvres, it said.
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Mei Guoqiang, who heads the PLA Navy Southern Command’s offshore training formation team, told PLA Daily that the exercises would “help improve coordination between the warships, deepen professional communication, enhance mutual trust and cooperation and jointly demonstrate practical actions to safeguard regional peace and stability”.
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The exercises came just a week after Beijing announced it was sending three rescue ships, including one with a manned submersible capable of descending to 10,000 metres (33,000 feet), to help recover the Indonesian submarine that sank late last month with the loss of all 53 crew members.
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