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Natuna: Troubled waters for Indonesia-Chinese relations?
When dealing with the Jokowi administration over Natuna, China apparently has been employing the same playbook it used with previous Indonesian governments.
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President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (center), accompanied by Navy chief of staff Adm. Ade Supandi (left) and other senior officials, inspects the warship KRI Imam Bonjol 383 after a Cabinet meeting onboard in the Natuna waters, Riau Islands, on June 23. (Courtesy of Setpres/Krishadiyanto)
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Chinese saying, Jīngjì rè zhèngzhì lěng (in economics we can have warm relations, although in politics we give each other the cold shoulder), can perfectly describe the current state of Indonesian-Chinese relations, as the two remain at odds over the resource-rich waters near Natuna Island.
Part of Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around Natuna is claimed by China through its ambiguous nine-dash line and disputes over the issue have added a conspicuous awkwardness to their economic relations that, on the surface, have appeared amicable.
Natuna remains a thorny issue between Indonesia and China, even though the two are savoring their closest relationship in decades, with each economy supporting the rise of the other.
Some of China’s hunger for natural resources has so far been satisfied by Indonesian coal and nickel, while Indonesia’s ambition to improve connectivity has been fulfilled by China’s infrastructure development expertise.
That might explain why, during the recent One Belt, One Road (OBOR) meeting in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping chose Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to be one of the two leaders flanking him on many occasions during the event, a privilege also enjoyed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
However, only three days after arriving in Indonesia after the summit, Jokowi flew to Natuna to supervise a military exercise involving 5,900 Indonesian Military (TNI) troops.
It was perceived as a rebuttal of China’s claim to sovereignty over the waters there, although the Indonesian government maintained it was just an ordinary military drill held to anticipate domestic security threats.
