KNews.id- China is indeed very persistent in defending its claims in North Natuna belonging to Indonesia. I don’t know what China thinks, is desperate to include Indonesia’s North Natuna as its sovereign territory.
China only reasoned that historical factors made it entitled to own North Natuna, which is currently under Indonesian control. An outdated historical factor where in 1949 the PRC communist government found a map of power during the Ming dynasty.
In the map the Ming Dynasty included the island of Natuna as a colony far to the south. The management of the Ming dynasty in Natuna, which they named Anbuna, lasted for 200 years before the Dutch colonization of the archipelago.It was Admiral Cheng Ho alias Zheng He who was the first person from the Ming Dynasty to set foot in Natuna. He then built a naval base in Natuna.
The goal is to regulate the traffic of ships that want to enter the archipelago. With Natuna under control, the Ming Dynasty had the advantage of controlling ship traffic and regulating the export of goods into the archipelago.
“Before the Han Dynasty, the ancients called this place Zhanghai, which was called the Natuna Islands as Zhanghai Qitou and called Natuna Island as Great Qitou.Due to its traffic location, Dajiqitou was used by Zheng He’s fleet as the first post at sea, which started the history of China’s management of the Natuna Islands,” explained 163.com on March 16, 2022.
Natuna’s position became increasingly important when fleeing from the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Jiexu founded a small kingdom there. Zhang then formed a Chinese trade alliance called Nanhua to further strengthen his position.
“Zhang Jiexu has a monopoly on the supply business of these gold diggers by controlling the water and land docks here so he’s obtained enormous material wealth.As a result of controlling the special traffic location of the Natuna Islands, the Nanhua company under Zhang’s leadership flourished with the help of the busy marine shipping industry nearby, and the Chinese population on the island grew rapidly, becoming a popular stopover place,” explained 163.com.
The Zhang kingdom collapsed when the Dutch colonized the archipelago and 350 years later Indonesia became independent where the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia reached Natuna.
“In 1724, the Dutch East India Company seized the opportunity to annex the Zhang Kingdom, which was founded by Zhang Jiexu,” explains 163.com.The historical factors above are what China uses to claim North Natuna as its own. On December 31, 2019, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs clearly explained that they had rights in North Natuna.
“China has sovereignty over the Nansha Islands (Spratly Islands) and has sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the relevant waters near Nansha.Meanwhile, China has historical rights in the South China Sea. Chinese fishermen have long been involved in fishing activities in the relevant waters near the Nansha Islands, which have long been legal and legal.
The Chinese Coast Guard carries out its duties by conducting patrols to maintain maritime order and protect the legitimate rights and interests of our people in the waters concerned,
” Geng said as quoted from thinkchina.sg on February 24, 2020.The gang continued China’s position on its claim in North Natuna but initially included it on the Nine Dash Line. He wanted Indonesia to know about this.
“Our ambassador to Indonesia reaffirmed China’s consistent position on the Indonesian side,” he said. This one reason is clear to Indonesia that China will not withdraw from North Natuna. There are two steps taken by Indonesia, namely diplomacy and strengthening the armed forces to defend North Natuna.
On the diplomatic side, Indonesia threatened that Jakarta would bring the North Natuna issue to an international forum. Indonesia will submit its objection to China’s claim to the international arbitration court so that the decision there will serve as a shield against China’s arbitrary actions.
“Indonesia says that if it cannot resolve the dispute with China in the waters of the Natuna Islands in the South China Sea, it can use the International Court of Justice to resolve it,” wrote thepaper.cn.
For Indonesia, this method is better than having to erupt armed clashes in North Natuna against China. But Indonesia is also preparing to fight against China to defend North Natuna.
The Indonesian military’s move is to buy NATO standard defense equipment to fight the Chinese war machine that smells of Russia. Then Indonesia established closer defense cooperation with the United States (US) to support efforts to defend North Natuna.
The US welcomes Indonesia’s invitation to work together against China in the Indo Pacific, especially North Natuna.“Security cooperation is a key pillar of our strategic partnership.
The United States is proud to be Indonesia’s largest defense partner in terms of the number of exercises and annual events we participate in together.
Our cooperation on counterterrorism and in countering violent extremism is also an important component of our joint efforts to build a safer world.
We support Indonesia’s strong efforts to safeguard its maritime rights and fight China’s aggression in the South China Sea, including in its exclusive economic zone around the Natuna Islands,” stated state.gov.
One form of US support for Indonesia in defending North Natuna will be holding a large-scale war exercise, the largest in the Asia Pacific called Super Garuda Shield 2022, where this country is the host.
The Super Garuda Shield will almost certainly be held in North Natuna where 14 countries from all over the world will participate. The Commander of the Indonesian Armed Forces, General Andika Perkasa, emphasized that the Garuda Shield 2022 exercise will be carried out by three dimensions of the US and Indonesian armed forces.
“So far, we have been training together with the Americans and this exercise between forces and at the TNI Headquarters has been running.
If I’m not mistaken, the Army is already 15 years old and this year is the 16th. Likewise the Air Force, the Navy,” said General Andika in a broadcast on his YouTube, Thursday, April 7, 2022. US Army Major General Matthew McFarlane was also enthusiastic about welcoming the Indonesia-US joint exercise.
“Not only is something the same every year, it increases in complexity, increases in scale.
“The concept of the Super Garuda exercise has begun to be discussed by General Andika and Admiral John C. Aquilino (the US Indo Pacific commander) in outline,” he said.Indonesia has sent a firm message to China regarding North Natuna. But as explained earlier that China will defend its claims in North Natuna. Geng Shuang said on January 2, 2020, that China had rejected an international arbitration award in 2016 that invalidated the Nine Dash Line claim.
“The so-called South China Sea arbitration award is illegal, null and void and we have long made it clear that China neither accepts nor recognizes it,” Geng was quoted as saying by thinkchina.sg.
He continued that Indonesia did not accept that China had ownership rights in North Natuna.
“I want to emphasize that China’s position and proposition are in accordance with international law, including UNCLOS.
So whether the Indonesian side accepts it or not, nothing will change the objective fact that China has rights and interests over the waters in question (North Natuna),” explained Geng.
Even Geng warned anyone, any party who opposes that China does not own North Natuna and its other claim areas and even admits that the sea block belongs to Indonesia, they will face Beijing.
“The Chinese side resolutely opposes any country, organization or individual that uses an illegitimate arbitration award to harm China’s interests,” he stressed. (AHM)
