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Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Indonesia rumored Reuters rejected a proposal from the United States (US) to allow its spy planes to pass through there. Previously, the US submitted a request for the P-8 Poseidon to land and refuel.
So said four senior Indonesian officials who are aware of this problem. The United States continued from July to August reaching out to Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto and Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi until he was finally rejected by President Joko Widodo (Widodo).
But unfortunately there has been no confirmation of this matter from the two ministries.
According to the report, the source said the request took the Indonesian government by surprise. Because this country maintains a neutral, free and active foreign policy.
RI does not allow foreign military to operate there. Furthermore, the United States is currently embroiled in tensions with China in the South China Sea (LCS).
The P-8 itself is an important aircraft in overseeing Chinese activities at the LCS. China previously claimed 80% of this area of water under the concept of nine dotted lines and came into conflict with several ASEAN countries.
RI does not have an overlap problem with China. However, several times RI had to expel Chinese coast guard fishermen and boats that entered the Natuna area.
Meanwhile, according to a Southeast Asian analyst in Washington, trying to get the landing rights for a spy plane would be unwise. That, he said, shows that few people in the US government understand Indonesia.
“There are clear limits to what you can do,” he said.
The United States recently used military bases in Singapore, the Philippines and Malaysia to operate P-8 flights over the LSC. The P-8 has a state-of-the-art radar, high definition camera and acoustic sensors to map islands, surfaces and underwater kingdoms in the LCS.
Meanwhile, China itself has intensified military exercises in these rich waters. In the last three months there have been three major exercises that China has carried out in full force.
(Head to head)
