Indonesia hosts great-power rivals China, US in rare joint naval exercises
American, Chinese and Russian navy ships are due to join exercises in Indonesian waters on Monday to drill responses to humanitarian disasters, in a rare moment of cooperation during a rancorous period of diplomacy and heightened defence competition across the Asia-Pacific.
Indonesia, which deftly handled last year's G20 meeting in Bali in the shadow of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, is playing host to the Komodo naval exercises in the Makassar Strait until Thursday.
The event comes days after the Shangri-La Dialogue defence summit in Singapore ended in a new bout of mudslinging between Chinese and US defence chiefs with the status of Taiwan the focal point.
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Held in waters between Borneo and Sulawesi, the exercise brings together 49 countries including sworn geopolitical rivals - such as North and South Korea, and India and Pakistan - as experts say Asean chair Indonesia quietly fills the role of neutral broker in a region scored by competing claims to seas and territories.
"These interactions tend to focus more on engagement but the geopolitical realities are there for all to see," said Prashanth Parameswaran, a fellow at the US-based Wilson Centre think tank.
"Indonesia has been at the heart of managing these tensions over the past couple of years, with its chairmanship of G20 last year and Asean this year."
An avowedly neutral country committed to a "free and active" foreign policy, Indonesia appears intent on exerting a greater international role to match its place as Southeast Asia's largest economy and status as the world's fourth-most populous nation.
President Joko Widodo is expected to open the event following a slew of high-profile international appearances after Indonesia chaired the G20 and Asean and attended the G7.
The cast of countries is "in line with the international status and standing of Indonesia, as one of the motives of the country's defence diplomacy is to enhance its international image and reputation," said Frega Wenas, a lecturer at Indonesia's National Defence University.
"With the attendance of major power countries such as the US, China and many other countries, the exercise will provide an opportunity for dialogue as the chiefs of navy will also meet up in parallel with the operational activities at sea."
The Komodo exercises will include sea rescues and responses to humanitarian emergencies such as natural disasters. Yet diplomatic outreach - a duty of the Indonesian navy - seems just as significant.
Alongside the naval manoeuvres are lighter events including a city parade, a culinary programme and a maritime exhibition.
Asked by This Week in Asia whether tensions with Russia and China might cause friction during the Komodo exercise, a US Navy spokesman said: "We respect the government of Indonesia's ability to select participants in its host-nation capacity.
"The United States will continue work with partners, such as Indonesia, to ensure that the region remains open and accessible and that the region's seas and skies are governed and used according to international law."
Representatives of the Russian embassy in Jakarta declined to comment.
China's nationalist Global Times tabloid said the country's participation in the exercise was aimed at boosting "understanding, exchanges and communication with foreign militaries to safeguard peace and stability amid rising tensions in the Asia-Pacific."
Yet days before the drills got under way, geopolitical tensions reared up at Singapore's Shangri-La Dialogue. China refused America's proposal for a customary meeting between their defence chiefs, citing sanctions levelled at Li Shangfu, China's minister of national defence.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin responded with a veiled swipe in a speech: "For responsible defence leaders, the right time to talk is any time. The right time to talk is every time, and the right time to talk is now."
Meanwhile, in the Taiwan Strait, a Chinese warship came within 150 yards of hitting the US destroyer USS Chung-Hoon, after American and Canadian warships sailed through the sensitive waterway.
Both Beijing and Washington have been building up their security relationships with states in the Asia-Pacific recently.
This week, a concurrent set of naval exercises is taking place involving the Philippines, the US and Japan. Philippine authorities insist the exercise is nothing out of the ordinary.
Even the avowedly neutral Indonesia has not been untouched by rising tensions. While China is attending the multilateral Komodo exercise, bilateral exercises with Indonesia have not been held since 2014.
The drills were put on hold amid an ongoing dispute about Beijing's maritime claims in the South China Sea.
"Given that the country will have a new president following elections next year ... the question of the future direction of Indonesia's wider foreign and defence policy is looming," Parameswaran said.
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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