Indonesia seeks US investment in Natuna amid growing superpower rivalry

[Gary]

This handout photograph taken and released on Oct. 29, 2020 by the Indonesian Foreign Ministry shows US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo (left) posing with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi (right) during their meeting in Jakarta. (AFP/Indonesian Foreign Ministry )

Indonesia has invited the United States to invest in the development of Riau Islands’ Natuna regency, one of the archipelago's outer islands in the southern part of the disputed South China Sea, which has become the flashpoint for escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing in the region. Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi extended the offer to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during his official visit to Jakarta on Thursday. “I encourage US businesses to invest more in Indonesia, including for projects in the outer islands of Indonesia, such as the Natuna islands,” Retno said after the meeting. As the minister called for collective contributions between nations to maintain peace, stability and prosperity, Retno said Indonesia had come to an agreement with the US about enhancing cooperation in the defense sector in the Southeast Asia region. On Oct. 16, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto officially visited Washington DC and met his US counterpart Mark Esper to discuss a bilateral partnership in various sectors and they later agreed, among other things, to enhance maritime and defense security cooperation going forward. In her statement, Retno emphasized that Indonesia wanted a stable and peaceful South China Sea where international laws, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), were respected and implemented. Jakarta and Beijing were caught in a diplomatic spat earlier this year after China's coast guard and fishing vessels were detected within Indonesia's Exclusive Economic Zone in the North Natuna Sea, which borders Vietnam and Malaysia and is located adjacent to the contested South China Sea. Read also: Pompeo to visit Jakarta amid increased US-China rivalry While maintaining its stance as a non-claimant state in the South China Sea dispute, Indonesia has continued to stand up against China's nine-dash line claims, saying that it has "no international legal basis". In his statement, Mike Pompeo lauded Indonesia's stance in protecting its sovereignty in the Natuna waters. “Our law-abiding nations reject the unlawful claims made by the Chinese Communist Party in the South China Sea, as it's clear from Indonesia's courageous leadership on the subject in ASEAN and at the United Nations,” Pompeo said. Indonesia is among Pompeo’s five-day official visit itinerary to South and Southeast Asia countries, where he has sought to strengthen economic and security ties. Ahead of the upcoming US presidential election, Pompeo has been aggressively promoting the Indo-Pacific order, a reimagining of the Asia-Pacific region that aims to take the spotlight away from China’s growing influence in the region. “We welcome the example that Indonesia has set with decisive actions to safeguard its maritime sovereignty around the Natuna Islands,” Pompeo said, “I'm looking forward to cooperating together in new ways to ensure maritime security and protect some of the world's busiest trade routes." Following his meeting with Retno, Pompeo embarked on a meeting with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. He is later expected to address an event held by GP Ansor, the youth wing of Indonesia's largest Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).

Indonesia seeks US investment in Natuna amid growing superpower rivalry

Indonesia has invited the United States to invest in the development of Riau Islands’ Natuna regency, one of the archipelago's outer islands in the southern part of the disputed South China Sea, which has become the flashpoint for escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing in the region.

www.thejakartapost.com

 

[Gary]

I think they should invest in Ranai Airport in Natuna, expanding the infrastructure to be able to support more jets in a higher op tempo than the current one.

just conceal the whole project into an civilian airport expansion, while at the same time building more fuel bunkers and joint US-RI SIGINT infrastructure.

what do you think @Madokafc ??

 

[Gary]

talking about Incirlik size AB which would be able to support US military operation in the Pacific if China start to go rogue.

 

[Madokafc]

I think they should invest in Ranai Airport in Natuna, expanding the infrastructure to be able to support more jets in a higher op tempo than the current one.

just conceal the whole project into an civilian airport expansion, while at the same time building more fuel bunkers and joint US-RI SIGINT infrastructure.

what do you think @Madokafc ??

They should invest too more on Ranai ports too, expanding the Jetty to accomodate larger vessels who got deep draft. The expanding including warehouse, maintenance facilities and crew accomodation. They too, more better to invest on communication facilities, including "satellite" command center for better communication between "local" people and visitor.

 

[Gary]

They should invest too more on Ranai ports too, expanding the Jetty to accomodate larger vessels who got deep draft. The expanding including warehouse, maintenance facilities and crew accomodation. They too, more better to invest on communication facilities, including "satellite" command center for better communication between "local" people and visitor.

It's going to be a win-win. they build and pay for our infrastructure, in return we give them access to deploy in our lands, keeping China in check.

having the US around is a very cheap way to avoid having a bloated military overspending.

 

[Anmdt]

Indonesia rejected US request to host spy planes: Officials

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/indonesia-united-states-host-spy-planes-china-13320186 JAKARTA: Indonesia rejected this year a proposal by the United States to allow its P-8 Poseidon maritime surveillance planes to land and refuel there, according to four senior Indonesian officials...

defencehub.live

What has changed in a week?
It sounds more logical to allow for refueling, than a permanent US presence in a jointly operated base in Indonesia.
The prior actually doesn't violate Indonesia's -no foreign military presence- within borders policy, while the latter will totally scrap it.

Refueling, stop-by's, replenishment at sea is in the nature of cooperation.

 

[Gary]

Indonesia rejected US request to host spy planes: Officials

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/indonesia-united-states-host-spy-planes-china-13320186 JAKARTA: Indonesia rejected this year a proposal by the United States to allow its P-8 Poseidon maritime surveillance planes to land and refuel there, according to four senior Indonesian officials...

defencehub.live

What has changed in a week?
It sounds more logical to allow for refueling, than a permanent US presence in a jointly operated base in Indonesia.
The prior actually doesn't violate Indonesia's -no foreign military presence- within borders policy, while the latter will totally scrap it.

Refueling, stop-by's, replenishment at sea is in the nature of cooperation.

Exactly exactly what I'm talking about.
They only need to refuel here just like an airline, and in case of war the infrastructure is already there to support the US military machine, till real war comes we could play innocent by not actually permitting permanent US presence here.