Indonesia may sue China in international court

Indonesia has said it could take China to international court if Beijing's claims to most of the South China Sea and parts of its territory are not resolved through dialogue.

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

Indonesia believes China's claim to 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 can 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 do not 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 that we are facing, not just us. It also directly affects the interests of Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and the Philippines," he added.

The Philippines has brought China’s illegal claims in the South China Sea to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands. After a long period of deliberation, the court agreed to hear the case, despite China’s refusal to participate in the case.

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

"The case against China in The Hague is 'a knot that hinders the improvement and development of China-Philippines relations,'" Wang was quoted as saying in a statement posted on the Foreign Ministry's website. "We do not want this knot to become tighter and tighter and eventually become a dead knot. Whether to loosen or tighten it, we have to rely on the Philippines."

Mr. Wang said 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 the country hoped the parties would not discuss "sensitive political topics" at the event.

According to VNE