President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said his country would not compromise on sovereignty, pushing back against Chinese claims that waters near Indonesian islands are also traditional Chinese fishing grounds.
The gas-rich Natuna Islands are "our territory," Jokowi, told the Sydney Morning Herald just a day before he postponed a planned visit to Australia after a rally in Jakarta turned violent. "You know, we have the Natuna regency there and there are 169,000 people out there and we want to build our fishery industry there."
Indonesia has sought to stay neutral in disputes between its neighbors and China over the nearby South China Sea, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. It is not a claimant in that area. But incursions by Chinese fishing boats and its coast guard — plus public comments by senior Chinese officials about access to waters near the Natunas — risk drawing Indonesia into the broader maritime tensions.