Indonesia "is not a peripheral country. We sit on a strategic global trade and energy route. Ships pass without charge—I'm not sure if that's right," Indonesia's FM told a symposium, musing that if split three ways “It could be quite substantial."
He then quickly backtracked, saying "If only it could be like that."
President Prabowo Subianto previously pointed out that Indonesia controls 70% of East Asia's energy flows: "Are we aware how important we are?"
Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore jointly manage the Strait of Malacca under international law (UNCLOS), and coordinate navigation safety and environmental protection (via Tripartite Technical Experts Group).
The chokepoint - 2.8 km at its narrowest - links the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea and:
carries ~30% of global maritime trade
moves 23–25M barrels of oil daily
supplies ~80% of China’s crude imports
Any disruption would push ships onto longer, far costlier detours around Indonesia—triggering instant spikes in oil prices, surging shipping costs, and fresh supply chain chaos.