US moves to strengthen Indonesian defence ties

JAKARTA: US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said he would explore deepening defense ties during a visit to Indonesia, a country that appears increasingly ready to assert its sovereignty in the contested South China Sea. Mattis, ahead of talks in Jakarta, raised the possibility of greater maritime cooperation.

An aide noted that Indonesia was also considering purchasing Lockheed Martin Corp´s F-16 fighter jets, in a deal that could be worth billions. “This is a very strategic partnership,” Mattis said, noting Indonesia was the world´s third largest democracy and the most populous Muslim-majority nation. It is also a vast archipelago of over 17,000 islands, with a strategic maritime reach. “We´re going to continue our efforts to expand maritime cooperation but also support Indonesia as a sort of fulcrum between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean,” Mattis told reporters traveling with him.

Indonesia has clashed with China over fishing rights around the Natuna Islands, detaining Chinese fishermen and expanding its military presence in the area in recent years. In July, Indonesia renamed the northern reaches of its economic zone in the South China Sea as the Natuna Sea, a move seen as a significant act of resistance to China´s territorial ambitions in South China Sea.