31/12/2021
BOLD MOVE, INDONESIA!
JAKARTA/BEIJING -- China has repeatedly told Indonesia to halt an oil and natural gas development project in the South China Sea, claiming infringement on its territorial waters, Nikkei has learned.
The exploratory drilling began in July near the Natuna islands within Indonesia's exclusive economic zone, which overlaps China's expansive "nine-dash line" territorial claim covering much of the sea.
In addition to the protests, China has sent coast guard vessels into the area to increase pressure, Indonesian government sources said, citing eyewitness accounts.
Jakarta, which contends that no territorial dispute with China exists, has not disclosed Beijing's protests. Indonesia apparently regards a public response to the protests as tantamount to acknowledging the existence of a dispute. The round of drilling was completed in late November, said Vice Adm. Aan Kurnia, who heads the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency, known as Bakamla.
China has territorial disputes across the South China Sea. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have all made claims. Beijing has intensified activity near the Natuna islands since 2019, escalating tensions with Jakarta.
In May 2020, Indonesia sent the United Nations a letter rejecting Beijing's historical claims in the sea indicated by its nine-dash line maps. China, in turn, sent a letter to the U.N. that maintains the claims in the South China Sea while seeking a solution through negotiations. Indonesia refused to come to the table.
China's aggressive maritime activity echoes its strategy over the Japan-administered Senkaku Islands, which Beijing claims and calls the Diaoyu. From the beginning of the year through Sunday, Chinese Coast Guard vessels have entered Japan's territorial waters near the Senkakus in the East China Sea a total of 40 days, according to the Japan Coast Guard.
Tokyo maintains that no dispute over the Senkakus exists and that the islands are unequivocally part of Japan. Yet Tokyo has no alternative but to lodge a complaint each time a Chinese vessel enters territorial waters.
In a November article, China's state-owned Xinhua News Agency laid out President Xi Jinping's deep involvement in the Senkaku incursions and in the South China Sea arbitration case.
"Xi has spearheaded strategic and tactical planning and, if necessary, personally intervened," the text said.
Indonesia looks to bolster defenses in and around Natuna, suspecting that China is exploring opportunities to seize effective control of the islands. The Indonesian military is lengthening an air base runway so that additional planes can be deployed. Construction of a submarine base has begun as well. Local fishing vessels take part in an early warning system on the lookout for approaching Chinese ships.
Indonesia and the U.S. are building a joint training facility for coast guard personnel near Natuna. The two nations held their biggest joint military exercise to date this August, spanning three locations in Indonesia. The drills simulated island defenses.
The conflict over the Natunas has worsened Indonesian sentiment toward China. About 25 citizens protested China's incursions into Indonesian territorial waters on Dec. 8 in front of the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta, according to police.
Still, Jakarta wants to avoid an accidental military flare-up with its top trading partner. Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto held online talks with his Chinese counterpart on Nov. 30 and stressed his desire to build trust.
