Chinese Aggressions

Indonesia Will Not Negotiate Its Sovereignty in South China Sea

• Indonesia will never recognize China’s fallacious claims
• Indonesia has plans to develop fishing grounds near Natuna

By Arys Aditya and Philip Heijmans
Natuna Islands

Indonesia will not compromise on its sovereignty in the South China Sea amid the recent sighting of Chinese fishing vessels near the Natuna Islands, which lie between Malaysia and Borneo, President Joko Widodo said.
Speaking at a plenary cabinet session in Jakarta Monday, Jokowi, as Widodo is known, said the increased presence of Chinese ships in the disputed waters since December was a violation of international law. 
He said in a statement posted on the cabinet secretariat website there would be “no negotiation when it comes to our sovereignty.”
Jokowi is scheduled to visit Natuna on Wednesday, according to Defrizal, head of communications at the Natuna regency who goes by one name, while the Indonesian Air Force had deployed four F-16 fighter jets to the islands, Detik news site reported on Tuesday.
Indonesia has also stepped up patrols in the gas-rich area, deploying five ships and two aircraft last week. 
On Monday, the navy dispatched additional warships to the area, Channel News Asia reported citing Commander Fajar Tri Rohadi, a public affairs officer with the First Fleet Command of the Indonesia Navy.
“This is our sovereign right,” Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said after the cabinet meeting, urging China to comply with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
 “Indonesia will never recognize nine dash lines or unilateral claims made by China that do not have legal reasons recognized by international law.”
The latest conflict follows accusations by the U.S. and other coastal states in Southeast Asia that China was taking a more aggressive stance on its claims to more than 80% of the lucrative waters in the South China Sea.
China has said it’s operating legally, and has called on the U.S. to stop interfering in the region.
There were several reported incidents involving Chinese coast guard vessels entering waters controlled by other claimants last year, including one that resulted in a nearly four-month-long standoff with Vietnam.
Malaysia also drew an objection from Beijing on Dec. 12 when it issued a submission to the UN defining its continental shelf.
 
Sovereignty Battle
The incident began more than two weeks ago when Chinese coast guard vessels escorting dozens of fishing vessels were spotted in Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone, the Jakarta Post reported, triggering the foreign ministry to send a diplomatic protest to Beijing on Dec 30.
Last year, the Indonesian government announced plans to develop the lucrative fishing grounds near Natuna in part to assert its sovereign authority there.
It also pledged to build new cold-storage facilities to turn the area into a functional fishing hub by the year’s end.
In addition to the navy, Mahfud MD, coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, said on Monday 120 fishing vessels had been called in to further reinforce patrols.
“Aside from using your rights as a citizen, you are also obligated to help defend the country, showing that this is ours,” Mahfud said in a statement on the coordinating ministry website.
This is not the first time the two sides have faced conflict near Natuna.
Indonesia has for years fended off Chinese fisherman caught poaching in its waters -- confiscating and destroying hundreds of boats.
While Indonesia has sought to remain neutral in the wider dispute, Jokowi also offered a similar statement on Indonesia’s sovereignty in May 2016 following several incursions by Chinese fishing boats and its coast guard.
“This is how it has responded since the 2016 incursions. So if there was posturing, it was back then,” said Aaron Connelly, a research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Southeast Asian Political Change and Foreign Policy program.
“Indonesian policy has been remarkably consistent on this issue.”— With