The Indonesian government reported last week that it had to drive away a Chinese coast guard ship three times for trying to interfere with a survey being conducted near Indonesia.
Reuters says that some of China’s armada of coast guard vessels “are accused by its neighbours of aggressive conduct and of trying to disrupt energy and fisheries activities” (October 31, 2024).
As is often true of Western reports on these affairs, the Reuters report seems shy about saying that China is in point of fact aggressive and disruptive in these waters. Reporting it as simple fact would apparently be going out on a limb. But Reuters is firm on the question of whether China is being accused of such things.
“On the South China Sea, nothing changes from the Indonesian government. We will do what’s appropriate,” foreign ministry spokesperson Roy Soemirat told a press conference, when asked if the repelling of the Chinese ship was a sign new President Prabowo Subianto would be more assertive in defending Indonesia’s sovereignty….
While Chinese coast guard vessels have been spotted numerous times lingering in Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the most recent incident came just days after Prabowo took office.
China’s foreign ministry last week said its coast guard carries out routine passage “in waters under China’s jurisdiction” and that it was willing to cooperate with Indonesia to properly handle incidents.
China typically says its coast guard operates lawfully and professionally to deter infringements in what are its waters.
The Chinese government is always willing to work with other countries “to properly handle incidents.” “Proper handling” of the China-instigated incidents consists of bowing to China’s demands and getting the hell out of parts of the South China Sea that China claims as its own—which is most of the parts, including parts much closer to any particular one of the China-bullied countries than they are to China.
Toward the end of the Reuters story, when the reporter refers to how, in 2021, Indonesian and Chinese vessels “shadowed each other for months near a submersible oil rig that had been performing well appraisals in the Natuna Sea. China at the time urged Indonesia to stop drilling in what was its territory.” Why not something like “China at the time urged Indonesia to stop drilling in what it claimed was its territory”?
Around the time of the 2021 incident, the Chinese dictator, Xi Jinping, told a summit of Southeast Asian leaders that China “absolutely will not seek hegemony or, even less, bully the small” in the region. Unless they get in China’s way. But other than that, no.
