China’s Ministry of National Defense announced on Tuesday that the Type 054A frigate Honghe will conduct a joint navigation exercise with an Indonesian navy frigate in waters east of Taiwan in mid-August. The stated content of the exercise is communications drills and underway replenishment. No dates, no coordinates, no route.

On the military ledger, that is close to nothing. Two frigates steaming in company, passing signals, practising a replenishment approach. Junior officer work. The Honghe entered service in 2022 with the Eastern Theater Command and the 054A is the most numerous frigate in the PLA Navy, which is to say Beijing did not send anything it considers precious.