TOKYO: Indonesian President Joko Widodo says one of China’s main claims to the majority of the South China Sea has no legal basis in international law, but Jakarta wants to remain an ‘honest broker’ in one of Asia’s most thorny territorial disputes.
Widodo’s comments in an interview with a major Japanese newspaper come as he embarks on a visit to Japan and China and is the first time he has taken a position on the issue since coming to power in October.
China claims 90 percent of the South China Sea, which is believed to be rich in oil and gas. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan lay claim to parts of the sea, where about $5 trillion of ship-borne trade passes every year.
The territorial dispute is seen as one of Asia’s hot spots, carrying risks that it could spiral out of control and result in conflict as countries aggressively stake their claims.
‘We need peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. It is important to have political and security stability to build up our economic growth,’ Widodo was quoted as saying in an interview with the Yomiuri newspaper published on Monday.
‘So we support the Code of Conduct (of the South China Sea) and also dialogue between China and Japan, China and ASEAN.’
But in a Japanese version of the interview published on Sunday, Joko rejected one of Beijing’s main claims to the South China Sea. ‘The ‘nine-dashed line’ that China says marks its maritime border has no basis in any international law,’ said Widodo.
Maritime lawyers note Beijing routinely outlines the scope of its claims with reference to the so-called nine-dashed line that takes in about 90 percent of the 3.5 million square kilometres South China Sea on Chinese maps.
The president was not speaking on China’s overall claim on the South China Sea, but only its nine-dash dotted line that stretches deep into the maritime heart of Southeast Asia, his foreign policy adviser Rizal Sukma told Reuters on Monday.
‘In 2009, Indonesia sent its official stance on the issue to the UN commission on the delimitation of the continental shelf, stating that the nine-dotted line has no basis in international law,’ said Sukma. ‘So, nothing changes.’ China’s Foreign Ministry appeared to downplay the remarks, repeating its standard line about Chinese sovereignty and that the dispute needs sorting out between the countries directly involved. (Reuters)
