Defence cooperation between two of the world’s largest Asian powers is continuing with China and Indonesia to hold joint counterterrorism drills in Guangdong province between the end of October and the beginning of November 2026.
The China Indonesia Drills (Sharpe Knife-2026) is scheduled for the mountain rescue exercise, announced by the Ministry of National Defense of China on October 26. The exercises also feature discussions on the issue of military cooperation, strategic autonomy and the changing security scenario in Southeast Asia.
China Indonesia Drills Scheduled in Guangdong
China Daily Asia reports that participants of the exercise will include members of China’s army and Indonesian military. This is the third officially marked training activity in Sharp Knife, designed to enhance the practical coordination and cooperation between both forces.
Counterterrorism Training Includes Helicopters and Drones
Participants will also engage in mountain climbing, specialized driving, helicopter fast-roping, and close quarter assault and coordination between crewed and uncrewed systems. These exercises are not a publicly announced conventional warfare exercise, but rather a joint counterterrorism rescue scenario.
Indonesia’s Strategic Autonomy Remains Important
Indonesia has defence ties with several powers and has an independent foreign policy. Limited interoperability and maritime disagreements have curtailed military cooperation with China even as there remains ongoing diplomatic engagement, a September RSIS analysis in Singapore has found.
What the Exercises Mean for Regional Security
The Guangdong training is a sign of growing defence ties, following bilateral talks in August. But these are not necessarily an alliance. Whether cooperation evolves past the training stage to ongoing operational cooperation is the key to their wider relevance.
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