Tag Archives: Natuna

100 China-registered vessels encroaching on Malaysian waters in South China Sea: Minister

KUALA LUMPUR – About 100 China-registered boats and vessels were detected in Malaysia’s waters near Beting Patinggi Ali in the South China Sea on Thursday (March 24), said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Shahidan Kassim amid rising regional tensions over the contested waters. Shahidan was quoted by state news agency Bernama as saying that […]

Indonesia looks to boost defenses around Natuna Islands in South China Sea

JAKARTA – Indonesia plans to strengthen its capability to defend its land and waters in the South China Sea, namely the Natuna Islands around which the country has declared an exclusive economic zone that overlaps with China’s “nine-dash line” maritime claim, its defense minister said Tuesday. “The Natuna Islands are our outer islands. It is […]

Indonesia to voice concerns on China’s maritime claims at ASEAN summit

JAKARTA – Indonesia will openly express its opposition to China’s vast claims in the South China Sea when Southeast Asian senior officials, ministers and leaders gather over the coming days in Kuala Lumpur for a series of annual meetings, stressing that China’s “nine-dash lines” map has no legal basis, a government source said Friday. The […]

Najib: Resolve South China Sea issue through peaceful means

Disputes on territorial claims over the South China Sea should be resolved through peaceful means and in accordance with international laws, said Najib Abdul Razak. Opening the 27th Asean Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, the Malaysian prime minister urged all parties to the disputes to exercise restraint. “We stress the importance of resolving […]

41 Years in the Making: Why China’s South China Sea Plan Will Fail

While China’s recent assertiveness in the South China Sea might shock and surprise today’s observers, its behavior has actually been remarkably consistent over recent decades. China first exercised its power in the region in January 1974 when it ejected South Vietnam from the Crescent Islands. In March 1988, the Chinese Navy clashed with Vietnamese vessels, […]

US, Indonesian Navies Conduct Air Patrol Exercise in South China Sea

On Thursday, the the U.S. and Indonesian navies carried out a joint maritime air patrol in the waters around the Natuna archipelago. The patrol involved 88 personnel overall. The United States committed a P-3C Orion fleet comprising four ships and 21 personnel. In terms of Indonesian hardware, the Indonesian navy committed CN-235 and NC-212 short […]

South China Sea And Indonesia’s New Maritime Strategy – Analysis

Strategically responding to China’s conflict escalation in South China Sea, newly elected President Widodo announced Indonesia’s New Maritime Strategy in November 2014. Contextually, Indonesia should have responded much earlier for a redefinition of Indonesia’s maritime postures in keeping with China’s enlarging escalation of conflict in the South China Sea against Indonesia’s ASEAN neighbours. Regrettably this […]

Indonesia & China struggling over the South China Sea?

Is Beijing targeting Indonesia? According to The Diplomat, the Natuna Islands may be the next claim of China in the South China Sea. But the difference this time is the fact that it belongs to Indonesia. Beijing recently promulgated a map with certain boundaries that claims parts of the South China Sea, including the Natuna […]

Indonesia: A Bigger Role in the South China Sea?

Sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea are at the heart of increasing tensions in Southeast Asia. In early May, the dispatch of a Chinese oil rig in disputed waters and the subsequent standoff with Vietnam had the effect of centralizing global attention on the confrontation between China and some of its ASEAN neighbors. Although […]

Beijing’s dangerous arrogance in the South China Sea

China’s current behaviour vis-à-vis its South China Sea neighbours is aggressive, arrogant and smacks of Han chauvinism and ethnocentrism. Far from being an expression of national pride, it is giving patriotism a bad name. Patriotic Hongkongers should recognise it for what it is: a dangerous ploy. Not only has Beijing bared expansionist teeth to Vietnam […]