South China Sea in focus as Indonesia hosts naval drills

Indonesia is hosting naval drills with ships from 38 countries, including warships from Russia, the US and China training side by side.

Transcript

00:00This is Indonesian soft power in full swing. While the Trump administration pulls back

00:05from multilateralism, Indonesia is embracing it. No fewer than 38 nations were invited

00:12to the so-called Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo, including rival naval forces like

00:19China, Russia and the United States. The focus of the week-long event in Bali? Maritime security

00:26and humanitarian assistance, but also thorny issues like the disputed South China Sea.

00:33Our hope is to ease tensions in the South China Sea by shifting the conversation towards

00:39humanitarian issues. Humanity should come before conflict. We want to raise global awareness

00:46that any future conflict in the South China Sea would have serious consequences for the

00:51global economy.

00:54The Indo-Pacific region has been seeing a growing military build-up in recent times,

00:59and the South China Sea is one of the biggest flashpoints. Several countries have rival

01:04claims in those waters, which are rich in natural resources and fish. But China claims

01:10almost the entire area as its own, which is home to several Indonesian islands. No surprise

01:15then that Indonesia's new government has made higher defence spending and the modernisation

01:20of its military top priorities.

01:24Indonesia's message is loud and clear. The Natuna Islands are its territory, no ifs,

01:29ands or buts. But while Jakarta defends its waters, it is still steering clear of a direct

01:35showdown with China.

01:38Indonesia's soft diplomacy approach focuses on finding common ground at events like this

01:43one, and trying to avoid getting drawn into the power rivalry between China and the United

01:49States. On the South China Sea, however, Indonesia and the US are very much on the

01:54same page.

01:55The South China Sea is not an area that is a vacuum of international law. It is not a

02:02vacuum of regional arrangement. It is not a vacuum of bilateral treaties. It is a place

02:09where it has a very substantive, detailed legal element of it, and we all need to use

02:17all of these legal instruments as a tool.

02:21A tool to balance different interpretations of the law. Experts say Indonesia's approach

02:27of avoiding direct confrontation might just be the right move when dealing with its powerful

02:32neighbour China. But Jakarta should also prepare for a scenario in which the US reduces its

02:39overseas commitments, giving Beijing the room to tighten its grip on the South China Sea.

02:46China would definitely take advantage of such a situation, or maybe it already has a plan

02:51in place. However, China must understand that if it pushes too far, countries in the region

02:57will start to feel uneasy. They will begin asking, what does China want? Why are they

03:03acting this way? And why are they being so aggressive?

03:08Indonesia is trying to convince China that it will need partners, and that's exactly

03:12what this event is about. Working together and sharing experiences. Like releasing baby

03:18turtles into the sea. A small but symbolic gesture that embodies Indonesia's position

03:24that the high seas belong to everyone.