WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Indonesia opposes power projection by any major nation in the South China Sea but also wants to maintain good relations with Beijing, Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said in remarks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
“We don’t want to see any power projection over there,” Pandjaitan, a retired senior general and former chief of staff to President Joko Widodo said on Tuesday. “We like to see stability in that area.”
“We don't recognize [Beijing’s] nine dotted line,” he told the forum.
The Nine-Dash Line — at various times also referred to as the “10-dash line” and the “11-dash line” — refers to the demarcation line used initially by the government of the People’s Republic of China for their claims of the major part of the South China Sea.
Pandjaitan said Indonesia continued to negotiate with Beijing to solve problems of illegal fishing, but sought to maintain a friendly tone with China throughout the negotiations.
