South
China Sea and Indonesia
While Chinese claims and actions in the South
China Sea have touched all of the sea’s littoral countries, the Chinese dispute
with Indonesia is often overshadowed by more fraught disputes with countries
closer to the Chinese mainland, in particular the Philippines and Vietnam.
Like many other territorial disputes in the South
China Sea, the origin of the contemporary dispute between China and Indonesia
can be found in the infamous 1947 map drawn by Nationalist Chinese diplomats
featuring a dashed line encircling much of the South China Sea. The geography
of the dashed line on Chinese maps varies; however, in every version, one of
the dashes intersects the northern boundary of Indonesia’s declared EEZ north
of the Natunas, around 1400 kilometres from the Chinese mainland. The waters in
the disputed area are an important fishery and the seabed below is home to
large natural gas reserves.
On
14 July 2017 Deputy Minister of Maritime Affairs Arif Havas Oegroseno
officially launched the new map of the Republic of Indonesia, pointing out that
the Natuna Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) has been renamed as “Laut Natuna
Utara” (North Natuna Sea). The area is part of the South China Sea. Moreover,
the Natuna EEZ lies partially within China’s “Nine-Dash Line”, which has not
been recognized by Indonesia.
Natuna
Regency has area size of 264,198.37 km2, consisting mostly of water area, with
area of 262,197.07 km2, and the rest is islands, with area of 2001.3 km2.
Population size of Natuna Regency in 2016 is 73.470 people. Natuna Regency is
one of 183 regions in Indonesia categorized as UOF (Underdeveloped, Outermost,
and Frontmost), where administratively this region shares borders with:
North
Side: Vietnam and Cambodia.
South
Side: Bintan Island.
East
Side: East Malaysia and West Kalimantan.
West
Side: Anambas Islands Regency.
Natuna
regency has 154 islands, with 27 islands (17.53%) are inhabited and the rests
(127 islands) are not inhabited yet.
China,
for its part, recognises that Indonesia is arguably the most important member
of ASEAN. It has the largest economy of the group, is the sixteenth-largest
economy in nominal GDP terms in the world, the seventh-largest in
purchasing-power parity terms, is a member of the G-20 group and,
geo-strategically, adjoins the Strait of Malacca, the waterway through which
around 80 per cent of China’s energy imports are shipped. Indonesia’s growing
economy has made it a desirable destination for Chinese manufactured goods and
an important market because it also has the world’s fourth-largest population.
Its membership in ASEAN, additionally, makes it a desirable political associate
and its geographic location could, if properly persuaded, ensure the security
of China’s energy imports upon which it depends to keep its manufacturing base
and economy moving forward. Indonesia, moreover, overtook India as the world’s
second-fastest growing economy in 2012 and although that ranking has since been
reversed again, its economy continues to grow at around five per cent per
annum.
Indonesia
in the South China Sea
What Does Indonesia’s Renaming of Part
of the South China Sea Signify?
Study on Development of Natuna Regency
Indonesian Foreign Policy: The China Factor
Jorge Emilio Núñez
Twitter:
@London1701
14th September 2018
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