Is Indonesia’s ‘big brother’ role in South China Sea dispute a model for the Philippines?

Analysts at a forum urged Manila to strengthen ties with Jakarta to leverage Indonesia’s regional leadership and economic power against China’s claims

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A woman waves the Philippine and Indonesian flags as an Indonesian Navy training ship prepares to dock for a goodwill visit in Manila on October 15. Photo: AP

Published: 3:30pm, 29 Oct 2024Updated: 4:42pm, 29 Oct 2024

A forum involving business and diplomatic leaders in Indonesia and the Filipino community in Jakarta has highlighted how the Philippines could learn from its “big brother” in navigating the complexities of its maritime dispute with China.

Analysts at the forum titled “West Philippine Sea: Impact on Trade and Investment” organised on October 25 by the Philippine Business Club in Indonesia said Manila’s efforts to assert its sovereignty in the South China Sea are beginning to yield positive results.

They highlighted that fellow member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) are increasingly turning to legal avenues to challenge “China’s repressive military might and unwanted total ownership of the South China Sea”.

The speakers noted Indonesia’s bilateral ties with the Philippines, with one analyst calling for reciprocal efforts from Manila in economic investments, so both sides may leverage their Asean membership and work with their neighbours for regional stability based on a rules-based order.

“Indonesia is cognisant of the strength of Unclos as Jakarta and Manila fought for the inclusion of Archipelagic Principle or Archipelagic Doctrine in the Unclos provisions,” Chester Cabalza, president of the Manila-based think tank International Development and Security Cooperation, told This Week in Asia, referring to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

He added that Vietnam reinforced its maritime claims by filing for its exclusive economic shelf before the UN, while Malaysia was “disgruntled with Beijing’s offensive charm despite Kuala Lumpur’s closeness with China to spare its maritime features”.