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Indonesia urges all parties to maintain security in South China Sea
Peace message: Vice President Jusuf Kalla has called on all countries to make a concerted effort to maintain peace and security in the South China Sea area
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span class="caption">Peace message: Vice President Jusuf Kalla has called on all countries to make a concerted effort to maintain peace and security in the South China Sea area. (Antara/R.Rekotomo)
Vice President Jusuf Kalla has called on all parties to maintain peace and security in the South China Sea area in a bid to prevent the ongoing territorial disputes from expanding further into an open conflict.
'Indonesia is not a claimant in South China Sea territorial disputes; however, we are aware of the real risks of these problems in which the territorial disputes can turn into an open conflict, which will eventually stir up troubles in the region,' said Kalla in his remarks at the Boao Forum for Asia Conference in Hainan, China, on Thursday.
The Vice President further said that if the South China Sea territorial disputes were allowed to continue, the possible resulting open conflict would have negative economic impacts, which would in turn inflict losses on all parties in the region.
Kalla added that the Indonesian government strongly believed that mutual respect and restraint were key to maintaining peace and security in the South China Sea area.
'I want to highlight our commitments to realize a peaceful resolution through a diplomatic and political process. I also call on all countries to respect international law principles as stipulated in the UNCLOS [United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea] 1982,' he said as quoted by Antara news agency.
The Indonesian government also conveyed a diplomatic note to the Chinese government to protest suspected territorial violations committed by Chinese-flagged fishing vessel MV Kway Fey 10078 and a Chinese coast guard boat in Natuna waters, Riau Islands.
In the protest note, Indonesia conveyed three points of objection over measures taken by the Chinese coast guard vessel, which it said had protected a vessel engaged in illegal fishing activities in Indonesian waters.
In the first point, the Indonesian government protested the actions of the Chinese coast guard boat, which it said contravened Indonesia's sovereignty rights and jurisdiction over its Exclusive Economic Zone (ZEE) and continental shelf areas.
Second, Indonesia protested violations in the attempt to interfere with law enforcement efforts conducted by Chinese authorities in the ZEE and continental shelf areas. Third, the Indonesian government protested violations committed by the Chinese coast guard boat against the sovereignty of Indonesia's sea territories. (ebf)(+)
