How Indonesia’s South China Sea dispute with Beijing could lead to tough Asean stance on code of conduct
- Analysts say Jakarta may be running out of patience with what it says are Chinese incursions into its territorial waters
- As Asean discusses code of conduct for South China Sea, Indonesia and Vietnam may take harder line on dispute resolution
Indonesia’s latest protest against Chinese activities in its territorial waters close to the disputed South China Sea was rebuffed by Beijing on Thursday.
In another round of diplomatic exchanges, China’s foreign ministry rejected Indonesia’s accusations that its coastguard vessels illegally entered Indonesian territory at the Natuna islands, inside Jakarta’s exclusive economic zone.
The Natunas are located about 1,100km (684 miles) south of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. China, Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei all have claims in the disputed waterway.
China’s position was in line with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, also known as Unclos 1982, he said.
Geng’s response was the latest rebuke after Jarkata’s statement on Wednesday that Beijing’s behaviour in the South China Sea was inconsistent with international law governing maritime disputes.