As China and Indonesia prepare to celebrate the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year, their spat on the issue of maritime sovereignty over the Natuna Islands seems to be escalating.
Indonesia has sent 4 F-16 jets to patrol the region and deployed eight warships, patrol vessels and even vessels of its own to thwart further Chinese incursions.
This comes after Chinese incursions in the resource-rich waterways last week on December 19 and 24, which saw more than 60 Chinese fishing vessels escorted by Chinese coast guard vessels into Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone.
Such military posturing by Jakarta has come after talks with Chinese officials were not yielding any meaningful results. Last week, even after summoning the Chinese ambassador and lodging a “strong protest”, Indonesian authorities spotted more intrusions and detected more vessels headed their way.
Amidst the escalation and the standoff, Indonesian President of Indonesia Joko Widodo's visit to the islands underlines the seriousness with which the current administration sees this. This comes only two days after he declared that Indonesia’s territorial integrity is “non-negotiable”. He added, “De facto, de jure, Natuna is Indonesia and there can be no bargaining with anyone on that.”
Echoing the President's sentiments, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said, "Indonesia will never recognize nine-dash lines or unilateral claims made by China that do not have legal reasons recognized by international law." China on the other hand, which claims more than 80 percent of the lucrative waters in the South China Sea based on “historic rights”, says it is operating legally. According to Beijing, the area in question has been its "traditional fishing ground" and that the dispute was “being handled diplomatically.”
The Natuna islands, which lie between Malaysia and Borneo, southwest of the Spratlys, are not new to such episodes of conflict. But, China has been upping the ante in recent times. This has compelled other nations to bolster their defenses and assert their sovereignty in the region. Just last year, China has had similar standoffs with Vietnam and the Philippines.
Image Source: Associated Press