JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia will sharply strengthen security around its South China Sea islands where there have been clashes with Chinese vessels, the defense minister said Wednesday, a day after Beijing’s claims in the sea were declared invalid. In an interview with AFP, Ryamizard Ryacudu said bolstering defenses around Indonesia’s Natuna Islands would involve deploying warships, an F-16 fighter jet, surface-to-air missiles, a radar and drones, as well as constructing new ports and improving […]
Tag: Natuna Island
Indonesian leader visits islands after China clashes
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesian President Joko Widodo was Thursday set to visit remote islands close to waters where Chinese and Indonesian vessels have repeatedly clashed, as tensions mount between the nations in the South China Sea. Widodo aims to assert Indonesia’s sovereignty over the Natuna Islands in the northwestern fringe of the archipelago during the trip and is accompanied by a high-level delegation including the foreign minister and armed forces chief, the government said. […]





