Indonesia may sue China in international court.

Indonesia has stated that it may take China to an international court if Beijing's claims of sovereignty over much of the South China Sea and parts of its territory are not resolved through dialogue.

China brazenly claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea using the so-called "nine-dash line," extending to the central waters of Southeast Asia, including the Natuna Islands, currently controlled by Indonesia.

Indonesia believes that China's claim of sovereignty over parts of Natuna has no legal basis.

"We are working actively on this issue. We are trying to reach out to the Chinese side," Reuters quoted Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Panjaitan as saying. "We want to see a solution to this issue in the near future through dialogue, or we may take it to the International Criminal Court."

Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Panjaitan speaks to reporters today. Photo: Reuters

"We don't want to see any rise of power in this region. We want a peaceful solution by promoting dialogue. The nine-dash line is an issue we are all facing, not just us. It also directly affects the interests of Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, and the Philippines," he added.

The Philippines has challenged China's illegal territorial claims in the South China Sea before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands. After a lengthy deliberation, the court accepted the case, despite China's refusal to participate.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said today that the Philippines' lawsuit has strained relations between the two countries and urged Manila to mend the relationship.

"The lawsuit against China in The Hague is 'a bottleneck hindering the improvement and development of China-Philippines relations,'" the statement, quoting Wang, posted on the Foreign Ministry website. "We do not want this bottleneck to tighten further and eventually become a deadlock. Whether it loosens or tightens, we must rely on the Philippines."

Wang said that China "hopes the Philippines can make a more reasonable choice."

Next week, Manila will host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. The US believes the South China Sea issue should be discussed on the sidelines.

However, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said that China hoped the parties would not discuss "sensitive political topics" at the event.

According to VNE