Long running disputes over claims in the South China Sea have centered on two island groups - the Spratleys (near the Philippines) and the Paracels (closer to Vietnam). Last week, there was an incident between Indonesian and Chinese patrol boats near a third island group. More on the Natuna islands from Neal Conan in the Pacific News Minute.
All parties agree the Natunas belong to Indonesia...the argument is over the surrounding waters. Under the UN Law of the Sea, an Exclusive Economic Zone extends 200 nautical miles, but that may overlap with waters inside China's infamous nine-dash line, an enormous swath of the South China Sea sometimes called the cows tongue, for the shape of the claim that runs through waters also claimed by Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and now Indonesia. Taiwan has claims of its own.
In the incident, last week, an Indonesian Fisheries Patrol craft seized a Chinese fishing boat. After a Chinese Coast Guard ship collided with the fishing boat, the Indonesians let the boat go… but kept eight crewmen in custody.
According to a report on Bloomberg- Indonesia then rejected a Chinese overture to keep the incident quiet. After a public protest from Jakarta, Beijing said its vessel had been harassed in what a spokeswoman called, "Traditional Chinese fishing grounds." Arif Havas Oegroseno, an Indonesian official, described that as "very fake, ambiguous, in terms of… since when, since what year does it become historical, traditional."
In fact, China has never specified exactly where its nine dash line is... more and more, its neighbors see Chinese fishing fleets, escorted by large, powerful coast guard ships, pushing the envelope, bit by bit.
