Jakarta will not negotiate sovereignty in S China Sea: Jokowi

Bloomberg

Indonesia will not compromise on its sovereignty in the South China Sea amid the recent sighting of Chinese fishing vessels near the Natuna Islands, which lie between Malaysia and Borneo, President Joko Widodo said.
Speaking at a plenary cabinet session in Jakarta, Jokowi, as Widodo is known, said the increased presence of Chinese ships in the disputed waters since December was a violation of international law. He said in a statement posted on the cabinet secretariat website there would be “no negotiation when it comes to our sovereignty.”
In response to the incident, Indonesia stepped up patrols last week in the gas-rich area, deploying five ships and two aircraft. The navy dispatched additional warships to the area, Channel News Asia reported citing Commander Fajar Tri Rohadi, a public affairs officer with the First Fleet Command of the Indonesia Navy.
“This is our sovereign right,” Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi said after the cabinet meeting, urging China to comply with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“Indonesia will never recognise nine dash lines or unilateral claims made by China that do not have legal reasons recognised by international law.”
The latest conflict follows accusations by the US and other coastal states in Southeast Asia that China was taking a more aggressive stance on its claims to more than 80% of the lucrative waters in the South China Sea. China has said it’s operating legally, and has called on the US to stop interfering in the region.
There were several reported incidents involving Chinese coast guard vessels entering waters controlled by other claimants last year, including one that resulted in a nearly four-month-long standoff with Vietnam. Malaysia also drew an objection from Beijing on December 12 when it issued a submission to the UN defining its continental shelf.

Sovereignty Battle
The incident began more than two weeks ago when Chinese coast guard vessels escorting dozens of fishing vessels were spotted in Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone, the Jakarta Post reported, triggering the foreign ministry to send a diplomatic protest to Beijing on December 30.
China’s foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the next day the country has sovereignty over the nearby Spratly Islands and their waters in the northeast, which had for years been traditional Chinese fishing grounds.
“The China coast guard were performing their duty by carrying out routine patrols to maintain maritime order and protect our people’s legitimate rights and interests in the relevant waters,” Geng said during a regular briefing.
Last year, the Indonesian government announced plans to develop the lucrative fishing grounds near Natuna in part to assert its sovereign authority there. It also pledged to build new cold-storage facilities to turn the area into a functional fishing hub by the year’s end. In addition to the navy, Mahfud MD, coordinating minister for political, legal, and security affairs, said 120 fishing vessels had been called in to further reinforce patrols.
“Aside from using your rights as a citizen, you are also obligated to help defend the country, showing that this is ours,” Mahfud said in a statement.