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Calls mount for ASEAN to denounce ‘ten-dash line’
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A Chinese Coast Guard vessel is pictured on March 9, 2023, near the Philippine-occupied Thitu Island, one of the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. (Reuters/Eloisa Lopez)
C
hina’s new standardized map, which denotes its claims to sovereignty over a larger part of the disputed South China Sea, cast a pall on Jakarta ahead of the 43rd ASEAN Summit, as calls mount for the group to denounce Beijing’s claim.
With Indonesia chairing this week’s discussions, which will include an ASEAN-China Summit that has negotiated for a Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea, some lawmakers have urged the Foreign Ministry to take on a leadership role in setting the regional stance.
Last week, China released the map on its Natural Resources Ministry website, in which it claimed a massive proportion of the already-disputed South China Sea, as well as disputed regions in India’s Arunachal Pradesh state and Aksai Chin plateau. The map also claimed some parts of Malaysia’s maritime territory near Borneo and Taiwan, while extending its controversial “nine-dash line” into 10 lines.
The map sparked controversy and diplomatic protests from India, which labeled the map as baseless, and Malaysia, which rejected Beijing’s “claims to sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction”.
Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi on Thursday told reporters that Indonesia’s position on the adherence to international law remained unchanged, saying that “any lines drawn and any claims made must be aligned with the 1982 UNCLOS [United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea]”.
Yet lawmakers said this position must be clarified by Jakarta in its capacity as ASEAN chair.
Dave Laksono, member of the House of Representatives Commission I overseeing defense and foreign affairs, said lawmakers would encourage the Foreign Ministry to hold discussions with countries affected by China’s new map.
