China wants to resolve its maritime differences with Indonesia through diplomacy, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Thursday in the wake of two encounters in the North Natuna Sea this week.
Indonesia’s maritime authority, Bakamla, said a Chinese coastguard vessel was twice escorted out of the waters, first on Monday and then again on Thursday.
It said the vessel “disrupted seismic survey and data processing activities being carried out by [state-owned oil firm] PT Pertamina East Natuna using the MV Geo Coral vessel”.
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“Bakamla will keep patrolling and intensively monitoring the waters of North Natuna to ensure seismic data gathering can go without disruption to Indonesia’s sovereignty,” the agency said.
But in Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said the Chinese coastguard was on patrol in waters under China’s jurisdiction.
“The China Coast Guard vessel carried out routine patrols in waters under the jurisdiction of China in accordance with international law and China’s domestic laws,” Lin said.
“China stands ready to improve communication and consultation with Indonesia through diplomatic channels and properly handle maritime issues between the two countries.”
The incidents occurred around 1,500km (930 miles) from the southern Chinese island of Hainan and within the South China Sea.
China claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea via a “nine-dash line”, which cuts into Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone.
In a video released by Bakamla on Monday, an Indonesian crew member tries to communicate with the Chinese vessel via radio. The Chinese vessel responds by claiming that the area is under “China’s jurisdiction and sovereign rights”.
The vessel was shadowed and intercepted by Indonesian forces, Bakamla said.
On Thursday, Bakamla spokesman Captain Yuhanes Antara described a similar incident a day earlier in which the same Chinese vessel had disrupted Indonesian survey activities and did not respond.
“The expulsion carried out by Bakamla of the CCG ship on the North Natuna Sea Continental Shelf is a real form of commitment to always maintain security at sea,” he said.
Beijing’s response to the expulsion by Indonesian maritime authorities was considerably milder than its reactions to similar incidents with the Philippines in the South China Sea.
The Philippines has drawn closer to its treaty ally and China’s rival, the United States, while Indonesia’s new president, Prabowo Subianto, has pledged to not take sides in the competition between Beijing and Washington.
Indonesia and China also “hope to create new opportunities in bilateral relations that are not only limited to defence cooperation, but also to increasing the stability and prosperity of the region”, according to the Indonesian Ministry of Defence.
The ministry issued the statement on Thursday after talks between Indonesia’s new defence minister, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, and Chinese ambassador to Jakarta Wang Lutong.
The two countries have often had friction over similar incidents.
In 2021, Beijing demanded that Indonesia stop drilling for oil and natural gas in maritime territory that both countries regard as their own.
And in January 2020, there was a dramatic stand-off between coastguards from both sides, just a few months after former Indonesian leader Joko Widodo began his second presidential term.
This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
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