Jakarta’s ties with Beijing could be tested by South China Sea clashes, think tank warns
Washington’s Indo-Pacific strategy – welcomed by the Philippines but viewed with caution by other Asean states – purports to build a region that is “free and open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient” with its allies and partners, while military exercises have increased.
Over his decade-long tenure, Indonesian President Joko Widodo has strengthened ties with China, with bilateral economic cooperation reaching new heights. A “2+2” dialogue mechanism for the two countries’ foreign ministers and defence ministers was agreed upon in October.
In a show of friendship, Indonesian president-elect Prabowo Subianto visited China as his first overseas destination after his election in February. Observers, though, said his subsequent stopover in Japan affirmed Jakarta’s commitment to neutrality in regional politics.
Indonesia is not a claimant in the South China Sea, Luo said, but Jakarta and Beijing face “maritime delimitation disputes”. Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone in the North Natuna Sea falls within China’s “nine-dash line” – Beijing’s territorial claim in the waterway.
“In recent years, the disputes between China and Indonesia over the Natuna issue have significantly reduced, but Indonesia is still very worried and wary of China,” said Luo, referring to Jakarta’s opposition to China claiming most of the disputed territories in its new “standard map”.
Prabowo and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo on April 3. Photo: EPA-EFE
In a joint statement by the US and Indonesia last August, during then-defence-minister Prabowo’s visit to Washington, the two countries stated that Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea were “inconsistent with international law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea”.
Luo noted that “in the current context, if a conflict breaks out in the South China Sea, China-Indonesia relations, China-Asean relations, and the regional order centred on Asean will face severe tests, or trigger changes in the regional geopolitical structure, which is not in the interests of all parties in the region”.
It was “imperative” for China and Indonesia to lead regional nations in strengthening cooperation and jointly managing disputes concerning the South China Sea, Luo concluded.
