Four-Day Port Call in Surabaya
On the morning of 6 August, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy task group — formed by the training vessel Qijiguang (Hull 83) and the amphibious dock landing ship Kunlunshan (Hull 998) — left Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya, ending a four-day program of goodwill activities and beginning its next phase of open-sea and overseas mission training.
During the visit, the Chinese task group commander paid courtesy calls on Indonesian military and government leaders. Personnel from both navies took part in a friendship sports meet at the Indonesian Naval Academy and co-hosted a cultural salon with local cadets. Reciprocal ship visits, academic exchanges, and multiple open-ship events brought aboard local residents, members of the Chinese community, and Indonesian military representatives.
Immediately after departure, at the invitation of the Indonesian Navy, the two sides conducted a joint exercise off Surabaya — a practical coda to a visit built around face-to-face professional and cultural engagement.
What the Surabaya Visit Signals
A Routine Exercise of Naval Diplomacy
Such port calls and joint drills are standard features of China's defence outreach in Southeast Asia. The deployment of a dedicated training ship alongside an amphibious platform signals both a willingness to invest in human-level relationships — sports, classrooms, ship tours — and a readiness to demonstrate tactical interoperability. For the Indonesian Navy, welcoming the Qijiguang and Kunlunshan reinforces a long-standing pattern of pragmatic military-to-military contact, conducted separately from any political friction.
While no new agreements were announced, the four-day call fits into a rhythm of frequent bilateral and multilateral naval activities in the region. The joint exercise that followed is a low-intensity drill focused on communication and manoeuvring, not combat simulation. Its main value lies in strengthening personal links and procedural familiarity between the two fleets.
Comments 0