Pacific nations detain Chinese, Indonesian boats for illegal fishing
Four vessels were detained or taken to port by authorities in Kiribati, Palau and Papua New Guinea for illegal fishing or breaches of fishing licenses.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Indonesian counterpart, Sugiono, in Jakarta on Friday to discuss security, politics, and economic matters. The meeting comes amid trade disputes and tensions in the South China Sea, as Jakarta seeks to maintain strong relationships with both China and the United States. Wang emphasized the importance of the dialogue mechanism, stating that unilateralism and hegemonic actions undermine global cooperation and stability.
China expressed its desire to enhance bilateral cooperation at a high level, covering economic, political, and security issues.
During the visit, China's Defence Minister Dong Jun received a military honor guard at Indonesia's Defence Ministry. Dong highlighted the potential for increased military cooperation, including joint exercises, officer exchanges, and partnerships in the defence industry. Indonesian Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin announced that the two countries would strengthen military ties through increased defense activities and partnerships.
The joint military exercise between China and Indonesia's navies, which took place east of Taiwan last week, drew criticism from Taiwan, which claims China as its territory. Indonesian Navy stated that the exercise was routine and included participation from Japan and the US. Analyst Curie Maharani noted that while Indonesians viewed the exercise as routine, the location allowed China to convey a political message about using defense diplomacy as an instrument of influence projection.
Indonesia, which claims no affiliation with territorial disputes involving China and its neighbors, maintains a non-aligned foreign policy, with President Prabowo Subianto vowing to befriend all countries, including China and the United States. China remains a significant investor in Indonesia, contributing US$3.9 billion of foreign direct investment in the first half of 2026.
However, tensions have arisen over regulations affecting some Chinese investments, such as higher taxes, a new nickel pricing formula, and alleged corruption and extortion by authorities.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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