The Foreign Ministry is currently working to nominate Natuna in Riau Islands province as a UNESCO Global Geopark, said the Foreign Ministry’s Policy Analysis and Development Agency head, Siswo Pramono, on Monday.

The effort is being coordinated under the Sustainable Island Development Initiative (SIDI) – a multistakeholder engagement and partnership established by the Foreign Ministry in 2016 – as part of Indonesia’s soft diplomacy over the South China Sea, a resource-rich region that is also one of the world’s busiest maritime trade routes.

“Now that Natuna has been named a national geopark [in late 2018], our next job is to bring it to UNESCO. Hopefully in 2020 or 2021 it can be listed as a UNESCO geopark,” Siswo said.

The South China Sea has for decades been the subject of overlapping territorial claims and is increasingly becoming a flashpoint for countries asserting sovereignty over the disputed waters. Indonesia is not a party to any major territorial disputes, but China’s claim extends to a patch of sea off the Natuna Islands chain. Tensions with Beijing have led Jakarta to assert its exclusive rights over the waters by renaming it the North Natuna Sea and establishing a maritime industry hub in the vicinity.

Indonesia has beefed up military presence in the area. Since late last year, Natuna Besar Island has been home to a military base, which is supported by an Army battalion, companies of marines and engineers.

Meanwhile, in Dompak, the government would begin the construction of the headquarters for the newly formed Joint Defense Area Command I (Kogabwilhan I), according to Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto. Kogabwilhan I will oversee the existing combat units of all three military branches in the area – including the composite battalion in Natuna, which was established late last year – to address specific threats and beef up the inter-branch chain of command in the area.