VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The South China Sea dispute has heated up more recently when the United States of America (USA) and China sent their combat fleets to the territory disputed by China and a number of ASEAN countries. Naval military maneuvers, especially both China and the USA fighting for influence in the region almost occur. On March 22, hundreds of ships belonging to China were seen in the disputed area of the South China Sea. The Philippine Defense Minister, Delfin Lorenzana protested against China which was considered to have invaded because it entered Philippine waters. The Philippine coast guard has detected the presence of these vessels on Whitsun Reef, about 320 kilometers from Palawan Island, since March 7. The United States immediately expressed its support for the Philippines, which has long been known as its trading partner in Asia. The American Embassy in Manila said it supported the Philippines' call to urge Chinese ships to immediately leave the Whitsun Reef area. Meanwhile, China ignored the call by insisting that its ships were in offshore territory.

In response to this, Indonesia and other countries bordering with the South China Sea should continue to campaign for joint responsibility to maintain security in the disputed area. This is in line with the position of prioritizing peace and security in the South China Sea region that has been taken so far. Because if the actions of these Chinese ships are responded to by the USA, the potential for open conflict will be more likely to occur. It is time for the related parties or countries that campaign for peace and security in the South China Sea to take a strategic role. It is hoped that in this case, China will be more able to place its position in the territorial waters of the South China Sea.