Indonesia is stepping up sea and aerial patrols of islands near the disputed South China Sea, an official said Saturday, following a diplomatic spat over "trespassing" Chinese vessels.

Military aircraft and three warships with some 600 navy, army and air force personnel have been deployed to waters around the Natuna islands, which border the South China Sea.

Indonesia has detained Chinese vessels in the fishing-rich waters in the past.

"Territorial violations by foreign vessels in Indonesian exclusive economic zone... is a threat to Indonesian sovereignty," defence commander Vice Admiral Yudo Margono said in a statement.

The move comes after Indonesia summoned the Chinese ambassador this week and lodged a "strong protest" over a Chinese coast guard vessel escorting Chinese fishing boats around the islands in mid-December.

Beijing responded that it has "historic rights" in the region and that fishing boats had been carrying out "legal and reasonable" activities.

China lays claim to huge swathes of the South China Sea, where it is accused of building military installations and artificial islands -- and ramming fishing vessels.

Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei also have claims in the South China Sea.

Beijing claims the majority of the resource-rich waterway through the so-called nine-dash line, a vague delineation based on maps from the 1940s as the then Republic of China snapped up islands from Japanese control.

Indonesia does not have a claim in the South China Sea, but said it would not tolerate incursions by China -- a key trading partner -- into its nearby waters.

"There is no compromise on Indonesia's sovereignty," Presidential spokesman Fajroel Rachman said Saturday.

Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Trump's no 'stupid' wars doctrine faces biggest test
Washington (AFP) Jan 3, 2020
President Donald Trump campaigns on a no more "stupid" wars mantra, but the US killing of Iran's military mastermind will test his ability to stay out of Middle Eastern quagmires less than a year from election day. Since the day of his surprise election victory in 2016, Trump has signaled an end to what critics long derided as Washington's global "policeman" role. Now though, Trump is celebrating his order to kill Qasem Soleimani, who as commander of the elite Revolutionary Guard Corps' foreign ... read more