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aritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti has made it onto Foreign Policy’s 2019 Global Thinkers list.

The magazine acknowledges Susi for her commitment to “regenerating her country’s vital fish stocks in ways that are accumulating both fans and enemies”.

“She doesn’t shy away from using scare tactics. Susi is known for blowing up boats that have been caught fishing illegally in Indonesia’s territorial waters,” it says.

Her “brusque approach” has encouraged a major downturn in poaching “but also a rise in diplomatic tensions with China”.

The ministry started cracking down on illegal fishing by foreign ships in 2015. More than 380 vessels have since been scuttled or destroyed, including 87 ships weighing between 70 and 120 gross tonnage last year alone.

Chinese fishing vessels still operate in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, based on historical claims that have been invalidated by an international tribunal.

Indonesia is not a claimant in the territorial dispute, but was involved in a spat with China over fishing activities in waters near Natuna Island, which borders on the South China Sea.

Susi has also taken a leading role in deliberating international policies related to ocean governance, including in last year’s Our Ocean Conference (OOC).

Indonesian Institute of Sciences researcher Riefqi Muna said Susi had a considerably greater security portfolio compared to other ministers because she had shown strong leadership in response to issues like maritime sovereignty and illegal fishing.

Her policy of sinking ships helped Indonesia maintain its authority in the maritime space while also making her a global role model, he said on Wednesday.

Susi was not immediately available for comment.

Foreign Policy published its list, comprising 10 categories with 10 people each, in conjunction with its 10th anniversary celebration.

Susi is named under the category of Defense and Security, along with Germany Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, Iran’s Quds Force commander, Qassem Suleimani, Mexican Interior Secretary Olga Sánchez Cordero, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Vladislav Surkov, as well as journalist and founder of Bellingcat Eliot Higgins, cofounder and CEO of Palantir, Alex Karp, and president and chief operating officer of SpaceX, Gwynne Shotwell.

Susi received her high school diploma in July last year after taking a high school equivalency exam at SMA 1 state senior high school in Pangandaran regency, West Java.

In 2017, Susi was named among the BBC’s 100 inspirational and innovative women.