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Indonesia sees no basis for territorial dispute with China: Minister
Coordinating Political, Security and Legal Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said there was no basis for Indonesia to engage in a territorial dispute with China as it had clear ocean territory boundaries formularized in its exclusive economic zone.
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On alert -- Coordinating Political, Security and Legal Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan (second from right) talks with Cabinet members prior to a limited Cabinet meeting led by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo at the Presidential Office in Jakarta on Jan. 5. (thejakartapost.com/Wienda Parwitasari)
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oordinating Political, Security and Legal Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said there was no basis for Indonesia to engage in a territorial dispute with China as it had clear ocean territory boundaries formularized in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The problem was, the minister said, that Chinese authorities had always claimed that the waters off Natuna, Riau Islands, where several Chinese vessels had been arrested for alleged illegal fishing, were their traditional fishing grounds.
“We have never acknowledged the so-called traditional fishing grounds,” Luhut told journalists after a Cabinet meeting at the State Palace in Jakarta on Monday.
He said the government would talk with international law of the sea experts to learn the best solutions Indonesia should take to resolve the rampant illegal fishing committed by Chinese vessels in the country’s territory.
“We are looking for best options. [...] As a neighboring country, we [Indonesia] have a good relation with China. We want to get the best solutions without having to sacrifice our good relations and sovereignty,” said Luhut.
Indonesia's territorial claim over its EEZ off the Natuna Islands in the South China Sea is based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Senior diplomat Hashim Djalal called on the Indonesian government to take a tough stance against China, which had repeatedly breached Indonesian waters. In the latest incident, the Indonesian Navy arrested a Chinese vessel for allegedly fishing illegally in Natuna waters last Friday.
“We must take tougher action. Discuss it first and then convey a [diplomatic] note to China,” said Hashim as quoted by kompas.com on Monday.
Hashim said repeated incidents around the Natuna Islands were taking place because China considered the area its "traditional fishing grounds", while in fact they was part of Indonesia’s EEZ. “Traditional fishing grounds are not acknowledged by international laws,” he said.
On May 27, the Indonesian Navy caught a Chinese-flagged vessel allegedly fishing illegally in Natuna waters. A Chinese coast guard boat attempted to prevent the arrest, forcing Indonesia to convey a diplomatic protest note to China. (sha/ebf)
