The South China Sea Dispute and Regional Maritime Security: Indonesia’s Perspective

Abstract

The South China Sea is a vital body of water for regional and extra-regional countries. The rivalry between two major powers, namely China and the United States, the closer relations between the former and Russia in the past few years, in particular their joint naval exercise in the South China Sea in the second week of September 2016, and North Korea’s latest nuclear test reflect the region’s highly dynamic strategic environment that changes day by day. These dynamics eventually influence countries in the region, including Indonesia. It is therefore crucial for Indonesia to have a complete and thorough understanding on the dispute and its implications on regional maritime security as it paves its way to become the Global Maritime Fulcrum (GMF). Therefore, this paper presents Indonesia’s perspective on the South China Sea dispute and regional maritime security. It includes China’s island building and reclamation, the role of the China coast guard in the South China Sea dispute, and Philippines’ case in Hague. Finally, implications for Indonesia and future agenda are presented.