Indonesia regarded 'strategic spectator' to enhance cooperation with China
- In Reports
- 07:21 PM, Apr 18, 2024
- Myind Staff
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, has stated that Jakarta and Beijing have reached an agreement to enhance cooperation and bilateral relations amidst heightened Indo-Pacific maritime concerns gripping multiple nations. The announcement followed a meeting between the Indonesian Foreign Minister and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Jakarta.
Wang expressed the mutual desire of both China and Indonesia for stability and peace in the region. Additionally, he called for restraint from all parties involved in the Gaza conflict.
Wang is scheduled to chair the fourth meeting of the China-Indonesia High-Level Dialogue Cooperation Mechanism in Jakarta. His trip to Indonesia, Cambodia, and Papua New Guinea commences on April 23 and concludes on the same day.
Indonesia, regarded as a 'strategic spectator' in the Indo-Pacific region, plays a significant role in Southeast Asia. The country's economy is experiencing rapid growth, and it ranks as the world's fourth most populous nation.
According to the Jakarta Post, Wang will chair a meeting of the China-Indonesia High-level Dialogue Cooperation Mechanism before overseeing two sessions of the China-Cambodia Intergovernmental Coordination Committee.
He will wrap up his visit in Papua New Guinea, where Beijing has been actively working to reduce the influence of the US and Australia in recent years.
In early April last year, President-elect Prabowo Subianto's visit to China saw President Xi Jinping lauding their bilateral relationship and articulating his strategies for fostering peace in the region.
China, a significant source of foreign direct investment for Indonesia, has injected billions of dollars into diverse projects spread across the nation's archipelago.
Chinese incursions in the South China Sea have grown more assertive due to Malaysia's limited deterrence capacity and its reluctance to heavily invest in border security. Beijing has been demanding that both Malaysia and Indonesia halt their oil exploration and exploitation activities on the contested continental shelves.
However, Malaysia and Indonesia possess various options to address these maritime challenges. These options include pursuing legal challenges and leveraging the interest of external powers in balancing Beijing's influence in the region.
The Diplomat has reported that Malaysia and Indonesia have experienced recurrent incursions by Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels into disputed regions of the South China Sea in recent years.
These incursions involve waters off the coast of Sabah and Sarawak for Malaysia, and waters north of the Natuna Islands for Indonesia.
Since 2009, Beijing has claimed exclusive maritime jurisdiction over the "nine-dash line," which includes ownership assertions over the water column and continental shelf. These claims intersect with the regions of Sabah and Sarawak for Malaysia, as well as the waters north of the Natuna Islands for Indonesia.
Image source: ANI
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