China and Indonesia conduct military drills in the waters east of Taiwan; Japanese media say it's aimed at responding to Japan-Philippines actions

Japanese media stated that China's move is a direct response to Japan and the Philippines! After we invited Indonesia to conduct military exercises in the waters east of Taiwan on August 11, Japanese media claimed that China’s action should be seen as an attempt to deter both Japan and the Philippines. Prior to this, Japan and the Philippines had agreed in late May to hold negotiations on delimiting their respective exclusive economic zones (EEZs). Clearly, from the Japanese media’s perspective, our action is a direct countermeasure against Japan and the Philippines.

Naturally, why did Japanese media reach such a conclusion? Fundamentally, it's because Japan believes the waters east of Taiwan fall within the so-called area yet to be demarcated between Japan and the Philippines. Therefore, after our military drills with Indonesia, Japanese media immediately turned the accusation around, claiming it was targeted at Japan and the Philippines. The facts are clear: Japan and the Philippines unilaterally drawing maritime boundaries while ignoring China’s prior sovereignty, naturally prompts us to take actions to safeguard our own interests. Moreover, Indonesia’s acceptance of our invitation and willingness to conduct exercises in the waters east of Taiwan demonstrates that the claims by Japan and the Philippines lack broad regional support.

Their private negotiation over maritime delimitation is inherently baseless. Indonesia adheres to the one-China principle and clearly recognizes Taiwan as part of China. It understands that maritime rights and sovereignty over waters on both sides of the island belong to China, which is precisely why it has aligned itself with us, supported our position, and accepted our invitation. Thus, it is not us targeting Japan and the Philippines—it is their actions that constitute serious provocations. We certainly have every right to take measures to defend our legitimate interests.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1873243406097420/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.