Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia denied Monday that it was accepting China's so-called "nine-dash line" or territorial claims over most of the South China Sea in the newly announced bilateral maritime partnership.
President Prabowo Subianto and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed to create "more bright spots in maritime cooperation" when they met in Beijing over the weekend. Both sides revealed to have reached an "important common understanding" in regards to overlapping claims over marine areas. The leaders' joint statement sparked experts' worries over Indonesia's stance on China's nine-dash lines.
China has long been using these lines to illustrate its claims to the South China Sea. It covers approximately 90 percent of the 3 million-square-kilometer incredibly strategic South China Sea, including the waters in the north of the Natuna Islands.
Indonesia has been against its top trading partner China's nine-dash line claims on the South China Sea. While Indonesia under Prabowo had agreed to work on maritime cooperation, it does not mean that Jakarta is finally recognizing Beijing's nine-dash line.
"The partnership cannot be interpreted as recognizing [China's] nine-dash line claim. Indonesia reaffirms its position that it has always held all this time that the claim lacks an international legal basis and does not align with the 1982 UNCLOS," the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement. "So this partnership will not affect Indonesia's sovereignty, sovereign rights, and its jurisdictions in the North Natuna Sea."
The government said that the partnership would put more focus on the economic aspects, particularly fishery and marine conservation in the region based on mutual respect. They also planned to work towards completing the so-called "code of conduct". This overdue document – negotiated by China and ASEAN members – aims to mitigate the risks of conflicts in the South China Sea.
The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) refers to the international maritime treaty ratified by China, Indonesia, and over 100 other countries. The treaty lays down a comprehensive regime of law and order in the world's oceans and seas.
The maritime partnership announcement came not long after Indonesia expelled the CCG-5402 Chinese coast guard ship from entering the North Natuna Sea.