Jakarta complains to Beijing over South China Sea clash
Avantika Chilkoti in Jakarta and Ben Bland in Hong Kong
Jakarta has protested to Beijing over “interference” in its sovereign affairs after a Chinese coast guard vessel sought to free a fishing boat and its crew that was suspected of operating within Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.
Susi Pudjiastuti, Indonesia’s minister of maritime affairs and fisheries, said on Monday that eight crew of the Chinese vessel had been detained and the government had summoned representatives from the Chinese embassy to discuss the alleged infringement.
Ms Pudjiastuti said there had been a tense chase in which a Chinese patrol boat had collided with the fishing vessel in an attempt to release it, putting passengers and Indonesian officers at risk.
“This is a very, very serious incident,” she said. “We consider this an interference in the law enforcement process of Indonesia, which is fighting illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.”
According to Ms Pudjiastuti, China has claimed the area is a “traditional fishing ground”.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the South China Sea as Beijing ramps up its military presence in the resource-rich waters.
Jakarta has long tried to position itself as a neutral broker between China and the Southeast Asian nations with which Beijing has direct disputes over maritime sovereignty, including Malaysia and the Philippines.
The “nine-dash line”, which outlines Beijing’s claim to almost all of the South China Sea, intersects with Indonesia’s 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone around the Natuna islands — although it does not include any of the islands themselves.
However, President Joko Widodo’s government has taken a firmer stance in protecting the archipelago’s sovereignty and sought to revive Indonesia’s historical reputation as a powerful maritime nation.
Security analysts have questioned the presence of the Chinese coast guard in Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone, more than 1,300km from the Chinese coast.
The Indonesian navy said on Monday that it would double the size of its patrol operations in the Natuna Sea following the incident.
“The Indonesian exclusive economic zone is absolutely within Indonesia’s territory and interests,” Ms Pudjiastuti said. “So the Chinese government’s claim is baseless and incorrect.”
Analysts say Jakarta’s increasing assertiveness in its waters is being led by Ms Pudjiastuti, a tattoo-sporting high-school dropout who built a multimillion-dollar airline from scratch before taking office.
The minister has ordered the sinking of more than 100 illegal fishing boats since taking office last year in an attempt to protect the local industry.
Last week Jakarta held a high-profile ceremony as it blew up the Viking, a stateless fishing boat that was one of Interpol’s most wanted vessels.
“Susi [Pudjiastuti] has been looking for an opportunity to push China on this question from the very beginning,” said Aaron Connelly, a Southeast Asia researcher at Australian think-tank the Lowy Institute. “Politically, she has built up this reputation for being tough on illegal fisheries . . . so if Indonesia gives China a pass on this it would go against her interests.”
In an interview with the Financial Times last year, Ms Pudjiastuti said China should amend its nine-dash line and confirmed Indonesia’s plans to build a new naval base on islands in the South China Sea.
