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The US secretary of state rejects China’s claims on the South China Sea while traveling to Indonesia as part of a five-country tour.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday that the United States would find new ways to cooperate with Indonesia in the South China Sea and respected Jakarta’s efforts to safeguard its own waters while rejecting China’s “illegal” claims in the area.
Pompeo’s visit to Indonesia comes amid a five-country tour of Asia, where he has sought to strengthen strategic and economic ties amid growing tensions between the United States and China.
In a joint press conference with his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi, Pompeo praised Jakarta’s “decisive action” to protect its sovereignty in the waters near the Natuna Islands, which China claims as its territory.
He said that China’s claim was “illegal.”
China makes its claims to the South China Sea under the so-called nine-dash line, a vague delineation of maps dating back to the 1940s, which was outlawed in a 2016 ruling in The Hague.
“I look forward to cooperating together on new ways to ensure that maritime security protects some of the world’s busiest trade routes,” Pompeo said at a press conference following his meeting with the Indonesian foreign minister.
Diplomacy in 2020: Use your flag at your meetings to show your patriotism (Pompeo & Indonesia FM Retno) pic.twitter.com/PQgFVz5K1l
– Fanny Potkin (@f_potkin) October 29, 2020
Retno said he wanted a “stable and peaceful” South China Sea where international law was respected.
“Indonesia and the United States are strategic partners,” he wrote on Twitter, noting that it was Pompeo’s second visit. “We share many values, including democracy, human rights, promoting tolerance and diversity, and respect for the rule of law. A partnership between equals based on mutual respect and mutual benefits. “
Indonesia has repeatedly rejected the Chinese coast guard and the fishing boats that have entered the North Natuna Sea.
Retno said Indonesia and the United States would enhance defense cooperation by boosting military acquisitions, training and exercises, intelligence sharing and maritime security cooperation in the region.
‘Independent’ foreign policy
Although they share the same position in opposing China’s maritime claims, Indonesian officials have expressed concern about Washington’s strident anti-China policies and rhetoric.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after their meeting in Jakarta. [Oktavianto Dermawan/Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Handout via Reuters]
China claims almost the entire South China Sea and over the past 10 years has built military installations on several disputed reefs and outcrops to assert its claim. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Taiwan also claim parts of the sea.
Retno said Thursday that he reminded Pompeo of the “free and independent” foreign policy of the largest Southeast Asian country and called for greater economic cooperation.
Indonesia’s economic ties with China have increased as Washington has considered lowering Indonesia’s preferential trade treatment under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP).
That review is ongoing and Retno told Pompeo that the GSP facility was important to both nations.
Pompeo also met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, commonly known as Jokowi, on Thursday, and is scheduled to make a speech to address the youth wing of Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia’s largest Muslim group.
“The president (Jokowi) emphasized that Indonesia wants the economic cooperation between the two countries to increase in the future, including the extension of the GSP facilities for Indonesia,” Retno said of Pompeo’s meeting with the Indonesian leader.
He added that the president urged Pompeo to “understand Southeast Asia and the countries of Southeast Asia to create peace, stability and cooperation in the region.”
Before arriving in Indonesia, Pompeo visited India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. He then plans to fly to Vietnam, where he will participate in events to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. It will be his third visit to the country.
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