The Hanoitimes - From December 2019 to March 2020, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam sent circular notes to the UN to protest China's maritime claims. Indonesia has joined some neighboring countries in opposing China’s claims in the South China Sea by lodging a diplomatic note to the United Nations. China's claims in the South China Sea trigger protest among regional countries. Image: VOA Jakarta pointed out the Indonesian government’s support for a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which favored the Philippines in a case that Manila brought against China over a territorial dispute in the resources-rich sea. “Indonesia reiterates that the Nine-Dash line map implying historic rights claim clearly lacks international legal basis and is tantamount to upsetting UNCLOS 1982,” said the letter from Indonesia’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, referring to a boundary on Chinese maps that encompasses Beijing’s claims in the maritime region. “As a State Party to UNCLOS 1982, Indonesia has consistently called for the full compliance toward international law, including UNCLOS 1982. Indonesia hereby declares that it is not bound by any claims made in contravention to international law, including UNCLOS 1982,” the letter stated. The letter, a copy of which was posted by an Asian journalist to Twitter, referred to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the international treaty adopted nearly 40 years ago. Significant move Indonesian President Joko Widodo at Selat Lampa Port, Natuna Islands, Indonesia on Jan 8, 2020. Photo: AP Gregory Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) under Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said Indonesia’s action broke new ground. “This note verbale is the first time that any of the Philippines’ Southeast Asian neighbors has stood up and explicitly endorsed its …
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