JAKARTA: Indonesia's air force deployed four fighter jets to the South China Sea on Tuesday (Jan 7) in a stand-off between two countries that has soured Jakarta's generally friendly relationship with Beijing, its biggest trading partner and a major investor in South-East Asia's largest country.
Indonesia has already mobilised fishermen to join warships in the South China Sea to help defend against foreign vessels, the government said on Monday, as the biggest stand-off with China for years escalated off South-East Asia's largest country.
In an unusually strong statement, President Joko Widodo told reporters: "There is no negotiation when it comes to our sovereignty."
However, Fajar Adriyanto, the air force spokesman, said four F-16 jets had been conducting flights over the islands, though he also played down fears of any confrontation with Beijing.
"They're doing standard patrols to protect our sovereign area. It just so happened that they're patrolling Natuna," Adriyanto said.
"We don't have the order to start a war with China."
The South China Sea is a global trade route with rich fishing grounds and energy reserves and China claims most of it based on what it says is its historic activity.
But South-East Asian countries say such claims have no legal basis.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Tuesday Beijing had "opened diplomatic channels" with Indonesia since the latest incident, and said "both countries shoulder responsibility for maintaining regional peace and stability".
Speaking in Beijing last week, Geng said China had sovereignty over the Spratly islands and their waters and that both China and Indonesia have "normal" fishing activities there. - Agencies
Indonesia has already mobilised fishermen to join warships in the South China Sea to help defend against foreign vessels, the government said on Monday, as the biggest stand-off with China for years escalated off South-East Asia's largest country.
In an unusually strong statement, President Joko Widodo told reporters: "There is no negotiation when it comes to our sovereignty."
However, Fajar Adriyanto, the air force spokesman, said four F-16 jets had been conducting flights over the islands, though he also played down fears of any confrontation with Beijing.
"They're doing standard patrols to protect our sovereign area. It just so happened that they're patrolling Natuna," Adriyanto said.
"We don't have the order to start a war with China."
The South China Sea is a global trade route with rich fishing grounds and energy reserves and China claims most of it based on what it says is its historic activity.
But South-East Asian countries say such claims have no legal basis.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Tuesday Beijing had "opened diplomatic channels" with Indonesia since the latest incident, and said "both countries shoulder responsibility for maintaining regional peace and stability".
Speaking in Beijing last week, Geng said China had sovereignty over the Spratly islands and their waters and that both China and Indonesia have "normal" fishing activities there. - Agencies
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