Indonesia’s South China Sea Dilemma

[Ayoshi]

From: researchgate.net:

Indonesia’s South China Sea Dilemma: Between Neutrality and Self-interest: Flashpoints, Turning Points and Trajectories

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Indonesia’s South China Sea Options | The Diplomat - February 28, 2014

Over the past few years, China has steadily increased its assertiveness in the South China Sea. Its most recent claim to fishing rights over most of this territory has given other countries in the region cause to worry that China may soon try to implement an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) across the South China Sea as it tries to assert its claim out to the controversial nine-dash line. This would put Chinese jurisdiction literally just off the shores of most Southeast Asian countries.

While all the countries neighboring China’s claims are worried about this threat to their sovereignty, few have the means to challenge it, especially on their own. Indonesia is perhaps one country that could do so with the help of a substantial ally. It also has the resources to fund a navy capable of defending its territorial waters. Nonetheless, it remains to be seen if Indonesia can harness its economic potential and transform itself into a substantial regional power.

[Ayoshi]

Indonesia renames part of South China Sea | Interaksyon - July 15, 2017

Seen by analysts as an assertion of Indonesian sovereignty, part of the renamed sea is claimed by China under its contentious maritime boundary, known as the ‘nine-dash line’, that encompasses most of the resource-rich sea.

Several Southeast Asian states dispute China’s territorial claims and are competing with China to exploit the South China Sea’s abundant hydrocarbon and fishing resources. China has raised the ante by deploying military assets on artificial islands constructed on shoals and reefs in disputed parts of the sea.

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Fishing rights
Indonesia insists it’s a non-claimant state in the South China Sea dispute but has clashed with China over fishing rights around the Natuna Islands, detaining Chinese fishermen and expanding its military presence in the area over the past 18 months.

Unveiling the new official map, the deputy of maritime sovereignty at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Arif Havas Oegroseno, noted the northern side of its exclusive economic zone was the site of oil and gas activity.

“We want to update the naming of the sea [and] we gave a new name in line with the usual practice: the North Natuna Sea,” he told reporters.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said he didn’t know anything about the details of the issue, but said the name South China Sea had broad international recognition and clear geographic limits.

[Ayoshi]

Indonesia is protecting its South China Sea territory against 'foreign' threats | CNBC - 18 Jul 2017

Indonesia has long maintained an exclusive economic zone in waters claimed by Beijing, but unlike many of its neighbors, it's never been a player in the long-simmering conflict that's weighed on intra-Asian relations. China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan all assert sovereign rights over parts of the South China Sea, which is rich in resources and boasts key maritime routes

Recent actions revealed Jakarta's heightened commitment to safeguarding its boundary as Beijing expands its footprint in the area.

On Friday, President Joko Widodo's administration renamed the northern side of its economic zone, home to significant oil and gas activity, as the North Natuna Sea. That same day, Indonesia's military signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources to provide land and maritime security for resource exploration activities.

Justifying the move, General Gatot Nurmantyo said offshore drilling activities were often disturbed by "foreign-flagged vessels," The Jakarta Post quoted him as saying.

Those foreign ships are widely believed to be Chinese.

[Ayoshi]

China demands Indonesia to cease usage of 'North Natuna Sea' nomenclature | IHS Jane's 360 - 05 September 2017

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dispatched a diplomatic note to Jakarta in protest of Indonesia's decision to officially rename a part of the South China Sea as the 'North Natuna Sea'.