China ruling party newspaper hits U.S. over sea dispute

President Jokowi on Monday instructed his ministers to protect Indonesia’s sovereignty over the Natuna Islands without undermining the country’s good relations with China, after Beijing lodged an official protest against the Indonesian navy’s “indiscriminate use of force”.

An Indonesian navy (Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Laut, or TNI-AL) Kapitan Pattimura (Parchim I)-class corvette has fired upon a group of 12 Chinese fishing ships after the vessels were detected in waters around the Natuna islands region, the service said in a statement on 18 June.

At least one Chinese ship tailed the USS John C. Stennis daily during its recent cruise through the South China Sea, although no hostile incidents were reported, the commander of the carrier strike group said last week.

China’s Foreign Ministry said the Chinese fishing boat was carrying out normal fishing operations in its traditional fishing grounds when the Indonesian navy shot at it, harming one fisherman and damaging the boat.

Indonesia on Monday defended opening fire on Chinese sailors as an action aimed at stopping illegal fishing, as China said it had overlapping maritime claims with Jakarta.

The commander of the Indonesian navy’s western fleet said he suspected the incursions were “structured”, indicating the Chinese government had “given its blessing”.

Last week a meeting of foreign ministers from China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Kunming ended in chaos and renewed allegations of regional bullying by Beijing.

While regularly sailing through the South China Sea, the Australian government has so far refrained from sending its ships too close to artificial islands built by China on top of reefs in disputed waters.

“This is a matter of law enforcement, not politics”, she said.

The Cambodian leader also called on all parties directly concerned in the disputes to resolve their differences through bilateral negotiations based on global law and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).

While a number of Indonesia’s neighbours – including the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia – are locked in a territorial dispute with China over the South China Sea, Indonesia has sought to remain neutral.

Chinese passports issued in 2012 showed a territorial line passing through the exclusive economic zone that Indonesia derives from the Natuna islands, an area that may hold large natural gas and other energy reserves.

Chinese coast guard vessels have used a water cannon on Vietnamese vessels, as well as blockading an island where the Philippines has deployed military personnel.

It is at least the third such incident since March, when Indonesia intercepted a Chinese fishing vessel off the Natuna islands. The cruise service will run from Hainan province to the Spratly Islands, in response to increasing demand from commuters. Other claimants include the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.

Chinese tourists have been allowed to travel to non-militarised areas of the South China Sea since 2013, but foreign passport-holders are not allowed to join the trips.