PLA Eastern Theater Command photo

Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius, Dutch defense minister, claimed that the Netherlands will not back down from regular military deployments to the Indo-Pacific despite a recent tense naval encounter with China, in an interview with The Japan Times on Monday following the arrival of Dutch Navy frigate De Ruyter in Tokyo for a three-day port call. 

"We are not here to seek a conflict, but we will keep coming back," Dilan Yeşilgoz-Zegerius claimed in the interview. The guided-missile frigate was involved in an incident last month in the South China Sea, The Japan Times report said. 

A military affair expert told the Global Times that the Dutch side's actions seriously violated China's territorial sovereignty, maritime and air security, contravened international law and basic norms governing international relations, and undermined peace and stability in the South China Sea. The Netherlands continued to play the victim and brazenly hyped the incident. But these displays of its modest military power ultimately carry no substantive significance.

On May 27, Senior Captain Zhai Shichen, spokesperson for the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command, announced in a statement that Dutch Navy frigate De Ruyter illegally trespassed into China's Xisha Qundao in the South China Sea and conducted multiple shipborne helicopter operations violating China's territorial airspace.

The PLA Southern Theater Command organized maritime and air forces to take necessary measures in accordance with laws and regulations to expel and drive away the trespassing vessel, said Zhai.

A week later, Senior Colonel Xu Chenghua, spokesperson for the PLA Eastern Theater Command, said on June 5 that since May 27, the ship-borne helicopter of the Dutch Navy frigate De Ruyter illegally intruded into the airspace over China's Xisha Qundao, and then transited the Taiwan Straits. The PLA Eastern Theater Command dispatched naval and air assets to track and monitor the Dutch frigate throughout its passage, and handled the situation effectively.

However, in the interview with The Japan Times, Yesilgoz-Zegerius claimed that such incidents would not prompt the Netherlands to scale back its Indo-Pacific engagement, claiming that Dutch naval operations are conducted in accordance with international law and the principle of freedom of navigation.

Instead of reflecting on the provocations carried out by its frigate De Ruyter, the Netherlands has chosen to play the victim and shamelessly hype up the so-called encounter. This behavior is a classic case of the guilty party filing the first complaint, attempting to glorify itself while hiding a deep-seated insecurity about its own military strength, Song Zhongping, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

The expert also said that the Netherlands' dispatch of a vessel to the so-called Indo-Pacific region is essentially a move to align with the US strategy — a gesture of loyalty to Washington aimed at reinforcing its military presence in the region.

"For the US, it does not matter in what manner Dutch warship transit the Taiwan Straits or conduct provocations elsewhere. The Netherlands has limited military capabilities, yet it insists on flexing its muscles to project an image of strength, a self-serving act that is ultimately quite laughable," Song said. 

The Japan Times' report also said that bilateral defense cooperation between Japan and the Netherlands is steadily deepening.

The De Ruyter is slated to conduct exercises with the Maritime Self-Defense Force, as the commander of the Dutch Navy, Vice Adm. Harold Liebregs, was quoted by the Japan Times as saying. Yesilgoz-Zegerius also claimed that the two countries are only beginning to explore the full scope of possible defense tie-ups, particularly in military-industrial cooperation, said the report.

Should the Netherlands, in its ignorance, choose to follow Japan's lead in challenging China's national security and maritime rights and interests, its provocations will inevitably undermine regional peace and stability, Song added.

In response to the Dutch frigate's recent provocations, the PLA theater commands have made their position clear. According to Zhai and Xu, the theater commands' troops will stay on high alert at all times and resolutely safeguard China's sovereignty and security, as well as regional peace and stability.