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Indonesia touts China sea deal without concession
A senior ministry official insisted that Indonesia maintained its long-standing position on China’s claim, and that further speculation “should not go beyond” the expressly written intent to explore new avenues of cooperation.
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"Good neighborliness": Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto shake hands during a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on November 9. (Reuters/Florence Lo)
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ndonesia aims to enhance “good neighborliness” through its new joint development plan with China, the Foreign Ministry said on Sunday, assuring it will not compromise legal rights or jurisdiction in waters adjacent to a contested sea.
The remark follows President Prabowo Subianto’s recent assertion that “partnerships are better than conflicts,” amid fears Indonesia could back China’s broad claims in the South China Sea over other Southeast Asian jurisdictions.
On Nov. 9, following Prabowo’s first meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping after inauguration, Indonesia and China stated they had reached a common understanding “on joint development in areas of overlapping claims”.
That wording raised concerns in Indonesia, with analysts warning it could signal a shift from Jakarta’s non-claimant stance and jeopardize its exclusive resource rights.
But speaking from Peru on the sidelines of Prabowo’s trip, a senior ministry official insisted that Indonesia maintained its long-standing position on China’s claim, and that any further speculation “should not go beyond” the expressly written intent to explore new avenues of cooperation.
“The document outlines that the two parties will establish an intergovernmental committee to explore the cooperation and its modalities,” said Abdul Kadir Jailani, the director-general for Asia, Pacific and Africa affairs.
“This means that the details, including the geographic scope of the cooperation, will be determined later by the committee,” he told The Jakarta Post on Sunday, without offering a clear timeline for its establishment.
