South China Sea crisis: Indonesia calls for calm amid fears tensions could boil over

The intervention comes after Beijing was accused of flexing its military muscles is the hotly contested region while the rest of the world tried to tackle the coronavirus crisis. China claims most of the strategic waterway but there are overlapping claims by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

Washington and its allies have also challenged Beijing’s territorial claims and there have been recent signs of tensions with US and Australian warships conducting drills in the region,  US aircraft deployments, China vowing to beef up its paramilitary coastguard and Vietnam and the Philippines expressing outrage and the imposition a of a summer fishing ban.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has expressed concern over recent activities in the South China Sea and warned they could potentially escalate at a time when a global collective effort is vital in fighting coronavirus.

Ms Marsudi said Indonesia was continuing to follow recent developments in the South China Sea closely.

She underlined the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region to ensure freedom of navigation and overflight.

She also urged all parties to respect international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.

Ms Marsudi said: “Indonesia calls on all relevant parties to exercise self-restraint and to refrain from undertaking action that may erode mutual trust, and potentially escalate tensions in the region.”

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She said that Indonesia remained committed to ensure the conclusion of a code of conduct that is effective, substantive and actionable despite the current circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.

China has been negotiating the code of conduct with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, but there has been little visible progress.

Last week, the US Navy said a guided-missile destroyer had sailed through waters near the Paracel Islands, challenging China’s claim to the area.