China protested Indonesian drilling, military exercises

China told Indonesia to stop drilling for oil and natural gas in maritime territory that both countries regard as their own during a months-long standoff in the South China Sea earlier this year, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The unprecedented demand, which has not previously been reported, elevated tensions over natural resources between the two countries in a volatile area of global strategic and economic importance.

One letter from Chinese diplomats to Indonesia’s foreign ministry clearly told Indonesia to halt drilling at a temporary offshore rig because it was taking place in Chinese territory, according to Muhammad Farhan, an Indonesian lawmaker on parliament’s national security committee, which was briefed on the letter. “Our reply was very firm, that we are not going to stop the drilling because it is our sovereign right,” Farhan told Reuters.

A spokesman for Indonesia’s foreign ministry said: “Any diplomatic communication between states is private in nature and its content cannot be shared.” He declined further comment.

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