Jakarta. The Indonesian Foreign Ministry said Thursday that it had not received any formal Taiwanese complaint of Jakarta's controversial passing drill with China. 

The Chinese and Indonesian navies had just wrapped up a passing exercise in the sensitive waters east of Taiwan. The location had ruffled Taiwan’s feathers, with the government saying that it would demand Jakarta’s clarification, according to media reports. When asked by the press about the request, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Yvonne Mewengkang admitted that Taiwan had not approached Jakarta.

“No, we have not received anything,” Yvonne replied.

Yvonne repeated the Navy’s clarification that the passing exercise was not intended for war-fighting, and only reflected “maritime diplomacy”. 

“The sea is not merely a space connecting countries, but a realm for building cooperation and mutual trust. The passing exercise aligns with our ‘free and active’ foreign policy on how we build constructive relations with our partners,” Yvonne explained.

Navy spokesman Tunggul had separately told the Jakarta Globe a day earlier that the warship joining the drills would be KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai-332. The exercises took place on the ship’s way home from a bilateral drill with Russia in Vladivostok. Tunggul also said that the warship would do similar exercises with Japan and the US navies. 

Chinese military authorities reported that recent Indonesian drill covered maritime communications, formation maneuvers, and underway replenishment. The Chinese vessel Honghe took part in the exercise.

Indonesia backs the “One China Policy”, hence having no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Even so, Indonesia maintains trade relations with Taiwan, with government data showing export-import activities neared $6 billion in the first half of 2026.

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