RI can't `sacrifice' China ties to court US

Lilian Budianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 07/27/2010 10:33 AM A | A | A | - Klipping The Jakarta Post

Recent US moves to cooperate with the Indonesian Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) and to join the East Asia Summit were aimed at gaining Indonesian support for the US against China, experts said.

Washington has courted Jakarta diplomatically by ending a decades-long ban on joint military action with Kopassus and by announcing it would join the expanded East Asia Summit after previously hinting that neither was likely to happen in the short term.

The US' sudden change of direction was reciprocated by Indonesia's welcoming of an American role in managing disputes in the South China Sea that have placed China in stand-off with Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan over overlapping claims to the Spratly and Paracel Islands.

"It is clear that the US has sought Jakarta's support in its disputes with China in many areas, from currency appreciation to military power to human rights," said Syamsul Hadi, a lecturer in East Asian relations at the University of Indonesia.

However, Indonesia should avoid becoming a buffer for the US in its struggle with China because it would harm Jakarta's relationship with Beijing.

"We are tied more closely to China than to US, geographically and economically. If we risk ruining our relationship with China, it will be more harmful than if Jakarta refused to support the US," he said.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates met with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday, when the pair discussed lifting the US ban on Kopassus and potential conflicts in the South China Sea.

Although Indonesia is trying to balance its position between the two giants, Yudhoyono seemed to agree Thursday with the US position.

Syamsul said the "political exchange" that has seen Washington lift its military ban in return for Indonesian support for a US role in South China Sea disputes has not benefited the country equally.

"The biggest US stake in Indonesia is their mining investment. We should ask for more concessions in this field instead of asking for a lift of the military," he said.

China's claims over parts of the South China Sea have become a source of concern for the US even though the US has no territorial claims in the resource-rich sea.

The area around the Spratly Islands region is estimated to have 17.7 billion tons in oil and natural gas reserves, making it the world's fourth-largest reserve bed, according to reports.

Washington has paid close attention to China's increasing military budget, which is ranked second in the world after the US, and its rising influence in Asia.

"Washington has tried to get closer with Indonesia through a two-pronged diplomatic approach, with the announcement of new policies from the State Department and Department of Defense," said Suzie Sudarman, director of the American Studies Center at the University of Indonesia.

"Jakarta should avoid being manipulated by the interests of conflicting parties," she said.

Indonesia has no territorial claims in the South China Sea but has been concerned that China's rising influence and naval power might affect settlement of its own dispute with China.

Last year, six Chinese fishing vessels entered Indonesian territorial waters near Natuna in the South China Sea. Beijing previously claimed that the waters near Natuna are traditional Chinese fishing territory.

China has drawn a maritime border that left open claims to the Natuna waters. There have been no negotiations to date with China on ending the dispute.

Defense Ministry spokeman I Wayan Midhio said there was not connection between the Kopassus agreement and Indonesian support of a US role in the South China Sea.

"The US is welcomed to play a role because stability in the region is the responsibility of more than just the surrounding countries. The US can play a role because they have the capability to do so," he said.