How Indonesia can protect its interests in maritime cooperation with China
The article argues that Indonesia lacks a clear maritime cooperation strategy with China under President Prabowo Subianto, pointing to a 2024 joint statement recognising an overlapping claim in the North Natuna Sea and a 2026 joint naval passage exercise near Taiwan. It states that Chinese research vessels and coast guard have operated in the North Natuna Sea, that China protests Indonesian oil and gas exploration in the Tuna Block, and that Chinese research vessel Haiyang Dizhi 10 operated in Indonesia's exclusive economic zone near the Natuna Islands without consent. It proposes three steps for Jakarta: setting its own cooperation agenda and legal framework, limiting cooperation to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and domestic law, and diversifying partners including Japan, India, Australia and other ASEAN states.
Why it matters: The argument bears on maritime security and strategic competition, as Jakarta weighs economic partnership with Beijing against resource and sovereignty claims in the South China Sea.