Skip to content

Indonesian President: The Chinese Lines in South China Sea Have No Legal Basis

BBC Chinese recently reported on the comments that Indonesian President Joko Widodo of Indonesia made when the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun interviewed him before his visit to Japan. During the interview, Widodo discussed the South China Sea "Kau Line." He thought that most of what the Chinese asked for in the South China Sea lacked any basis in international law. This was the first time, since he was elected last October, that President Widodo explained his position on the issue of the South China Sea. The South China Sea enjoys an annual commercial traffic valued at around US$5 trillion. Based on the “Kau Line," China claims sovereignty over 90 percent of the South China Sea. The government of the Republic of China had originally drawn that line before the Communists took power. However a number of countries in the region, such as Vietnam and the Philippines disagree. President Widodo expressed his willingness to be an “honest bridge builder” to mediate the resolution of this long-lasting regional conflict. China maintains that the core issue of the conflict is that “some countries are occupying islands illegally.”
Source: BBC Chinese, March 23, 2015
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/world/2015/03/150323_indonesian_china