On November 11, Indonesia confirmed that it doesn’t recognize China’s claims within the South China Sea, even after signing a maritime cooperation agreement with Beijing.
The move has raised concerns amongst analysts, who warn that the agreement could undermine Indonesia’s regional sovereign rights.
The long-standing dispute over the South China Sea
China has been in a long-running dispute with several Southeast Asian countries over their territorial claims within the South China Sea. Using the “nine-dash line” on the old map, Beijing occupies almost your complete sea, overlapping with the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of neighboring countries, including Indonesia.
However, Jakarta has consistently maintained that it just isn’t a claimant state within the South China Sea dispute and has no overlapping jurisdiction with China.
In 2016, a world tribunal ruled that China’s territorial claims within the South China Sea had no legal basis. Despite this, China didn’t conform to recognize the decision.
Recently, during President Prabowo Subianto’s visit to Beijing, the 2 nations issued a joint statement agreeing to joint development in areas with overlapping claims. Nevertheless, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated that this agreement doesn’t affect the country’s sovereign rights, especially within the North Natuna Sea.
Maintaining sovereignty in economic cooperation
Although the Indonesian government said the agreement focuses totally on fisheries and conservation and goals to advertise peace and friendship, several experts expressed concern.
Maritime analyst Aristyo Rizka Darmawan cautioned that the agreement may very well be interpreted as Indonesia’s acknowledgment of the existence of overlapping claims. This could potentially undermine Indonesia’s sovereign rights to administer resources in its exclusive economic zone. He suggested that Indonesia could have joined the agreement to strengthen economic ties with China.
Read also: The Philippines and Vietnam will construct a defense partnership within the South China Sea disputes
Concerns about national interests
Chinese policy expert Dr. Klaus Heinrich Raditio stressed that Indonesia has never had overlapping claims with China.
He argued that including a clause on overlapping claims within the joint statement could threaten Indonesia’s national interests. He noted, nonetheless, that it continues to be possible to renegotiate the terms of the contract.
Controversial maritime agreement
In conclusion, while Indonesia is trying to keep up its sovereignty within the North Natuna Sea, the recent maritime agreement with China stays a contentious issue.
While the federal government says the agreement is not going to violate national sovereignty, some observers fear it could impact Indonesia’s rights to strategic waters.
