Chinese coastguard ships sail as tensions with Indonesia build

Jakarta doubles naval presence at Natuna Regency islands after Chinese fishing vessels refuse to leave the area

Southeast Asian countries are toughening their stance towards Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea

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According to a US analyst, Chinese coastguard cutter CCG35111 is one of two vessels from the service heading south from Fiery Cross Reef. Photo: Twitter

Published: 9:45pm, 7 Jan 2020Updated: 8:31pm, 17 Feb 2020

Two Chinese coastguard ships left Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed South China Sea and sailed in the direction of the Indonesia-controlled Natuna Regency islands on Monday, amid renewed tensions between Beijing and Jakarta.

One of the two ships, CCG 35111, put in at Fiery Cross – where China has refuel and resupply facilities – on Saturday, according to Marine Traffic, a ship tracking and maritime intelligence provider.

The stopover on the artificial islands, part of the Spratly group, showed that China had created outposts for so-called grey zone operations that included monitoring and deterring foreign ships from entering disputed waters, an analyst said.

“This shows the value of China’s Spratly bases for grey zone coercion in the South China Sea,” Ryan Martinson, a member of the US Naval War College’s China Maritime Studies Institute, wrote on his Twitter account on Monday.

China’s development of Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands is extending Beijing’s reach across the South China Sea. Photo: AP

The Chinese coastguard vessels set sail as Indonesia sent four more warships to the Natunas on Monday, doubling its naval presence to eight, after Chinese ships there refused to leave the area.

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