US Ministry Of Defense Response, Chinese Spokesperson Affirms Prabowo Never Called Expansion In The South China Sea

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin delivered a statement to the media in Beijing, China on Monday (28/8/2023). (ANTARA/Desca Lidya Natalia)

JAKARTA - Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin confirmed Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto never mentioned any Chinese expansion action in the South China Sea.

This is related to a press statement submitted by the United States (US) Ministry of Defense which states that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto are equally of the view that China's expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea are inconsistent with international law.

"We note that no such content can be found in the press release of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense at the same meeting. The Chinese Embassy in Indonesia has communicated with the Indonesian side, which states that what the US has said is not true," Wang Wenbin said in a statement to the media in Beijing as reported by ANTARA, Monday, August 28.

The release issued by the US Ministry of Defense on Saturday (26/8) explained the results of the meeting between Austin and Prabowo, namely the views of the Indo-Pacific Association of Southeast Asian Nations (AOIP) in line with the views of the US Indo-Pacific. The goal is to realize defense, security, peace, prosperity, and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

The same release said the US Defense Ministry was monitoring China's increasingly extensive and expansive South China Sea activities, calling the move a violation of the UN Charter which stressed that the boundaries of sovereignty of each country must be respected.

"This is not the first time something like this has happened. I wonder if this is another example of coercive diplomacy or diplomacy in lies or sedition diplomacy by the US," said Wang Wenbin.

According to Wenbin, countries in the region already have the same aspirations and interests to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and work together for development.

"The US needs to seriously respect the efforts of countries in the region to uphold peace and stability in the South China Sea. Stop interfering in the South China Sea issue, stop causing disputes and create problems, and refrain from disrupting peace and stability in the region," said Wenbin.

Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto is known to have traveled to the US last week to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) regarding the commitment to purchase 24 units of F-15EX fighter aircraft, the latest 4.5 generation fighter jet at Boeing headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri.

He also witnessed the signing of the Sikorsky S-70M Black Hawk helicopter at the Lockheed Martin facility in Washington.

Prabowo also held meetings with a number of top US officials, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

China has regional disputes in the South China Sea with several ASEAN members, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia.

China implemented a system called Nine Disconnected Lines (nine dash lines) based on China's historical movement in these waters, so Beijing is of the view that at least two-thirds of the region in the South China Sea belongs to China.

The Philippines sued this claim to the International Court of Arbitration. The decision issued in 2016 declared the Philippines' victory and that the Nine Disconnected Lines were invalid. However, the dispute continues because the code of guidance (code of conduct) between China and ASEAN has not been completed.

Indonesia stated that it had no maritime dispute with China in the South China Sea. However, the maneuver of Chinese ships in waters near Natuna had clashed with the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) because China often entered Indonesia's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).