Indonesian authorities on Monday (Sept. 14) protested the intrusion of a Chinese coastguard vessel into Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone against the backdrop of growing tensions between China and several of its coastal neighbors over sovereignty delimitation in the South China Sea.
The Chinese Coast Guard vessel, CCG 5204, was spotted Saturday off the Natuna Islands in the southern part of the South China Sea and did not leave until Monday. Jakarta regards the area around the Natuna Islands as Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), a 200-nautical-mile zone between the baseline of the territorial sea and the high seas, and enjoys exclusive rights to natural resources and other jurisdiction within the zone.
Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah told AFP on Monday that the ministry had contacted Chinese representatives in Jakarta after the incident and asked for clarification on the incident. The Indonesian Maritime Safety Agency said it had contacted the ship and that the Chinese Coast Guard vessel replied that it was patrolling the “nine-dash line” area. The nine-dashed line is the line that defines China’s territorial boundaries in the South China Sea, although the demarcation of this boundary has been challenged by other neighboring countries.
Indonesia refuses to recognize the “nine-dashed line” as a violation of UNCLOS. As Fazasa said, “There is no overlap between Indonesia’s EEZ and the sea areas belonging to China.
Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelago, has struggled to prevent foreign vessels from fishing in its waters, allegedly costing it billions of dollars a year. In January, Chinese fishing boats escorted by a Chinese coast guard vessel entered the waters, and Jakarta sent fighter jets to fly over the area.
In the Paracel Islands, another area over which China, along with Vietnam and Taiwan, has asserted sovereignty, the United States announced sanctions against several Chinese companies and officials for their alleged involvement in the construction and militarization of disputed islands in the South China Sea in response to the firing of missiles by Chinese forces in the disputed area in late August.
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