China and Indonesia Will Hold "Sharp Blade-2026" Joint Training

[Global Times Report, Reporter Guo Yuandan] On the 26th, the Ministry of Defense announced that from late October to early November, the armed forces of China and Indonesia will hold the "Sharp Blade-2026" joint army anti-terrorism training in Guangdong. This is the third time the two sides have conducted this series of joint exercises, which will help to continuously deepen practical exchanges and cooperation between the two militaries and enhance the joint operational capabilities of both sides. Military experts interviewed by the Global Times stated that this exercise is part of the cooperation between the two sides in the field of non-traditional security, and the joint anti-terrorism training aims to jointly combat transnational crime and local crime, eliminating the significant hidden dangers posed by terrorism.

The announcement from the Ministry of Defense on the 26th stated that this joint training focuses on mountain joint anti-terrorism rescue operations, primarily involving training in mountain climbing, special driving, helicopter rappelling, close-quarters assault, and manned-unmanned coordination.

In June 2011, the "Sharp Blade-2011" special forces joint training between China and Indonesia was held in Bandung, Indonesia. This was the first joint training between the Chinese and Indonesian militaries, aimed at further consolidating the friendship between the two countries' armed forces, enhancing mutual understanding and trust, promoting practical exchanges and cooperation between the two militaries, and improving the capabilities of both countries' armed forces to carry out anti-terrorism operations, without targeting third parties. In July 2012, the special forces of China and Indonesia conducted anti-terrorism joint training code-named "Sharp Blade-2012" in Jinan, Shandong. Official reports stated that this was the second joint training of special forces between China and Indonesia following "Sharp Blade-2011," aimed at consolidating the achievements of the "Sharp Blade-2011" joint training.

What is the background and significance of China and Indonesia holding the "Sharp Blade" series of exercises again after 14 years? Military expert Song Zhongping stated on the 26th to the Global Times that this indicates that the "Sharp Blade" series of exercises has important practical significance. "Indonesia is deeply troubled by terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS, facing the risk of domestic extremist terrorism, which is an important background for Indonesia to strengthen anti-terrorism drills and enhance exercises in the field of non-traditional security. At the same time, a series of issues such as cross-border telecom fraud, human trafficking, and the cross-border transfer of black assets are important areas for cooperation between China and Indonesia."

"On one hand, China is also a victim of telecom fraud and needs to cooperate with Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia; on the other hand, Indonesia also needs to leverage China's mature and advanced anti-terrorism experience to implement domestic and cross-border anti-terrorism," Song Zhongping stated.

It is noteworthy that since 2025, the "2+2" dialogue mechanism between the foreign and defense ministers of China and Indonesia has been hosted twice in a row. This is the first ministerial-level "2+2" mechanism established by China globally, creating a new platform for strategic communication between China and Indonesia, and the meetings have effectively promoted political security and defense cooperation, jointly safeguarding the legitimate interests of both countries.

According to the announcement from the Ministry of Defense, in August this year, during the second ministerial meeting of the China-Indonesia foreign and defense ministers' "2+2" dialogue mechanism, Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo stated that Indonesia is willing to strengthen strategic communication with China, enhance exchanges between the two militaries, and continuously strengthen cooperation in defense, maritime security, cybersecurity, combating online gambling fraud, and transnational crime, resolutely maintaining regional peace and stability, and jointly addressing global challenges.

Song Zhongping stated that Indonesia is located in the Malacca region, and anti-terrorism, anti-piracy, and humanitarian rescue are all important areas for cooperation between China and Indonesia. "The cooperation between the PLA and the Indonesian military aims to develop relevant mechanisms to facilitate mutual support, jointly combat transnational crime and local crime, and eliminate the significant hidden dangers posed by terrorism."

Regarding the key subjects of this joint training, Song Zhongping analyzed that, based on the information released by the Ministry of Defense, this is a set of special operations procedures for hostage rescue in a mountainous jungle environment. Drones first conduct reconnaissance, ground teams climb, special vehicles maneuver to seal off the area, helicopters rappel for vertical insertion, and finally conduct close-quarters indoor assaults to identify and rescue hostages, primarily targeting armed strongholds that hold hostages in mountainous areas. This is cooperation in the field of non-traditional security, which not only fills the tactical capability gap in joint handling of complex mountainous environments but also continuously solidifies security cooperation with ASEAN countries, serving regional governance needs such as anti-fraud and anti-human trafficking.