Indonesia set to ratify sea border deal with Vietnam

Indonesia is set to ratify a maritime boundary deal with Vietnam, finalizing EEZ limits in the South China Sea, aiming to ease tensions, assert legal clarity, and reinforce its stance as a non-claimant in ongoing regional disputes.

Indonesia's parliament is expected to ratify a maritime boundary agreement with Vietnam next week, marking a significant step in defining the two nations' exclusive economic zones (EEZs) in the disputed South China Sea. The agreement, reached in 2022 after over ten years of negotiations, outlines the exact coordinates of their EEZs and still requires ratification from Vietnam's parliament.

Lawmaker Nico Siahaan said the formal approval process would begin Monday, with ratification expected shortly after. Indonesia hopes the agreement will reduce ongoing tensions caused by Vietnamese fishing activity in its waters.

International law expert Hikmahanto Juwana noted that the deal effectively disregards China’s expansive claims over most of the South China Sea. China continues to assert control over the area, including parts of other Southeast Asian nations' EEZs, despite a 2016 international tribunal ruling that rejected its claims, a ruling Beijing does not accept.

Indonesia’s deputy foreign minister, Arif Havas Oegroseno, emphasized that the agreement will offer legal clarity for activities such as patrolling and oil exploration. He added that, as a maritime nation surrounded by neighbors, Indonesia benefits from clearly defined sea boundaries.

While Indonesia signed a maritime cooperation deal with China last year, leading to speculation about a shift in its neutral stance, the Indonesian foreign ministry maintains that it remains a non-claimant state in the South China Sea with no overlapping territorial claims with China.

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