Frantic Phone Call Failed to Halt China-Indonesia Sea Spat
- Plea came in phone call from Chinese diplomat to official
- Indonesia's neutral position in dispute coming under pressure
Indonesia Detains Chinese Fishermen
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Hours after reports of a confrontation between a Chinese coastguard ship and an Indonesian vessel in the South China Sea, a top Chinese diplomat called an Indonesian government official with a plea: Don’t tell the media, we are friends after all.
That request was rebuffed as officials in Jakarta called a press conference to complain about China’s actions. While Indonesia has largely been on the periphery of disputes between China and other nations over the South China Sea, the spat risks drawing the Southeast Asian nation into territorial contests in the oil-and-gas rich waters.