Indonesian military officials are examining a mysterious underwater surveillance device believed to be from China after a local fisherman pulled it from the sea near a popular tourist destination.
A Chinese underwater drone was caught by an Indonesian fisherman near a key waterway leading to Australia on Monday, local media reported.
The waterway between Bali and Lombok is closely watched by the United States and Australia. It is one of the few deepwater routes that can accommodate submarine transits at operational depth and is also suitable for large naval vessels travelling between the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
An underwater drone developed by the 710th Research Institute of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) was caught by an Indonesian fisherman near a key waterway leading to Australia on Apr 6.
The discovery of the “torpedo-like” object near the Lombok Strait comes at a time of increasing Chinese underwater activity in sensitive areas. The waterway between Bali and Lombok is closely watched by the US and Australia.
It is one of the few deepwater routes that can accommodate submarine transits at operational depth and is also suitable for large naval vessels travelling between the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
The device was found a few kilometres north of Lombok near the approaches to the strait while the fisherman was casting his nets. He became suspicious and hauled it to shore before contacting the local authorities. It was believed to be a “marine technology device” and police concluded there was no immediate threat after examining it for explosives or radioactive material.
The cylindrical object was about 3.7m long and 0.7m in diameter. Local police said these were “characteristics commonly found in observation devices or underwater survey equipment”. Photos taken at the site showed that the object bore the CSIC logo, along with Chinese characters.
So this drone was developed by the 710th Research Institute of CSIC. CSIC is one of China’s largest shipbuilding conglomerates, which mainly develops submarines, naval vessels and equipment for underwater monitoring or surveys.
Fished out of the strategic waters of the Lombok Strait, the submersible was emblazoned with the logo of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) and Chinese characters for a research institute.
CSIC, renamed China State Shipbuilding Corporation, is the world’s largest shipbuilding conglomerate and a key pillar of China’s maritime industrial power, Newsweek reported.
It could also be a civilian vessel that then sends data back to the People’s Liberation Army as part of Beijing’s military-civil fusion — a strategy in which civilian enterprises share technology and resources.
Australia, which will acquire nuclear submarines under the AUKUS pact with Britain and the US, would rely on the Lombok Strait for the stealthy, rapid deployment of those vessels.
Several of China’s Southeast Asian neighbours have previously found unmanned underwater vehicles suspected to be of Chinese origin. These include Indonesia and the Philippines, which have long-standing disputes with China over their maritime territorial claims. Unlike the Philippines, Indonesia is not a rival claimant to the South China Sea.
However, it has increasingly criticised China’s claims and protested against Chinese ships entering its exclusive economic zone north of the Natuna Islands, part of which extends into the South China Sea.
Even when unmanned underwater vehicles are ostensibly being used for research or survey purposes, the data they collect can have significant military and strategic value.
Police said further investigations into the object’s origin and function were underway, adding that it would be handed over to the Mataram Naval Base on Lombok. One focus was whether there were any implications for national security or sovereignty.
It comes after Taiwan’s President warned Asian neighbours that they are “next” if China invades the self-governing island.
Lai Ching-te said that China would become “more aggressive” and attack other countries in the Indo-Pacific, undermining “peace and stability”.
“If Taiwan were annexed by China, China’s expansionist ambitions would not stop there,” he said.
“The next countries under threat would be Japan, the Philippines, and others in the Indo-Pacific region, with repercussions eventually reaching the Americas and Europe.”
The alarm was sounded as Lai and his ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) struggled to push through a new $40 billion defence budget against parliamentary opposition.
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