Beijing pledges deeper defence ties with Indonesia after South China Sea spat

China wants deeper defence ties with Indonesia and will boost cooperation on bilateral and multilateral issues, China’s defence minister told his Indonesian counterpart, after a recent diplomatic spat in the South China Sea.

In March, Indonesia tried to detain a Chinese trawler it accused of fishing in its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, prompting the Chinese coastguard to intervene.

China has said its vessels were operating in “traditional fishing grounds”.

Indonesia is not embroiled in the rival claims with China over the South China Sea and has instead seen itself as an “honest broker” in disputes between China and the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei.