Talking Indonesia: Prabowo, China and the South China Sea

About 1000km north of Jakarta is a little pocket of paradise, a sprinkle of islands called the Natuna Islands, home to less than 100,000 people.

These sparsely populated islands are the gateway to the North Natuna Sea, an area of unparalleled natural wealth. These waters are rich in fish, tuna, mackerel and marine life which sustains fisher livelihoods. This is also an area endowed untapped gas and oil reserves worth many billions of dollars. Indonesia claims the area as within its Exclusive Economic Zone, a right backed up by international maritime law.

But China’s controversial nine-dash line, a map that shows China’s claims to the South China Sea, overlaps Indonesia economic zone. And while China withdrew its claim to the actual Natuna Islands way back in 1995, it continues to insist that the maritime gas reserves are well within its rights. The past decade has seen this area militarise at a pace, as skirmishes with Chinese military and an army of illegal fishing trawlers challenge the Indonesian navy.

Last week, the dynamics of this conflict took a dramatic turn when it transpired that Indonesia had signed a cooperative statement with China that committed to developing the area together in recognition of, and this is the kicker, overlapping claims on the area.

This statement came off the back of President Prabowo Subianto’s maiden diplomatic jaunt, an ambitious itinerary to Beijing, Washington and a host of other countries in service of Indonesia’s economic interests. But the joint statement left analysts and observers wondering, did Prabowo, the muscular nationalist, get played?

To talk about these issues,  Dr Jacqui Baker invites Aristyo Darmawan, a Lecturer in International Law at Universitas Indonesia and PhD candidate at the Australian National University where he is currently writing his dissertation on how maritime law influences Indonesian foreign policy.

In 2024, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Jacqui Baker from Murdoch University, Dr Elisabeth Kramer from the University of New South Wales, Tito Ambyo from RMIT and Dr Jemma Purdey from the Australia-Indonesia Centre.