Under President Jokowi, and in no small part thanks to extensive engagement by his senior minister Luhut Pandjaitan, Indonesia has never been closer to China. But perhaps it is too close for comfort.

Benefits in long-term development funding and COVID-19 response know-how aside, Jakarta’s love affair with Beijing must be weighed against the very possible risk of open conflict in our own backyard.

Unlike the United States, which extends its guarantee of security to its allies, China rarely makes the same promise — and the new coast guard law passed last week at the National People’s Congress does little to soothe concerns.

The legislation effectively weaponizes Beijing’s white hull diplomacy and gives its authorities the green light to dismantle and destroy any foreign-made structures in Chinese-claimed areas — in blatant disregard of a 2016 international tribunal ruling that invalidated its claims.

In the absence of a COC, decades of relative peace and stability in Southeast Asia’s busiest maritime trade route is at risk of being upended at the whim of Beijing — and that is not to mention China’s military dominance in the region.

The COC document itself remains elusive nearly two decades after its mandated establishment by ASEAN and China, despite underpinning efforts to prevent all-out conflict at sea among South China Sea claimants. China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines have overlapping claims there.

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