The overlapping claims of the South China Sea have made China repeatedly behave arbitrarily with a number of ASEAN countries, including Indonesia.
Indonesia is not directly involved in the controversy with China over the South China Sea (LCS).
However, Indonesia's move to change the name of the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Indonesia around Natuna to the North Natuna Sea apparently triggered China's movement against Indonesia.
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Several times Chinese ships, including the Coast Guard, entered the Indonesian EEZ in the North Natuna Sea.
The Republic of Indonesia must work hard to secure the North Natuna Sea area from the occupation of Chinese ships.
But China's arrogance towards Indonesia peaked in 2021, when China sent a letter protesting against Indonesia's offshore oil drilling in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of North Natuna.
China is said to have asked the Indonesian government to stop oil and gas exploration activities in the waters in the South China Sea which are claimed to be theirs.
Those familiar with China's actions have disclosed it to the international news agency, Reuters.
Those familiar with it claim that this is the first time that the Chinese government has acted in such a way, further escalating diplomatic tensions between the two countries over the South China Sea issue.
A letter from a Chinese diplomat to a senior Indonesian Foreign Ministry official wants Jakarta to stop oil and gas exploration because it is taking place in "Beijing" waters, according to Muhamad Farhan, a member of the security committee in the country's parliament.
"Our response to the letter (from China) is clear and unequivocal that we are not stopping oil and gas exploration activities because it is our right and sovereignty," he told Reuters.
A spokesman for the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said all forms of diplomatic communication between the two countries are confidential and their contents cannot be shared.
Three other people who were briefed on security confirmed that there was a letter from a Chinese diplomat asking Jakarta to stop its exploration activities in the waters of the Natuna Sea.
Over the past few months, Chinese coast guard vessels and their research vessels have been interfering with oil and gas exploration activities carried out by Noble's "Clyde Boudreaux" platform in the Natuna Sea.
Indonesia also sent warships and coast guards to monitor the presence of Chinese ships.
In the letter, Chinese diplomats repeatedly asked Indonesia to stop oil exploration.
These waters are clearly in the waters of the Indonesian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
However, China claims that these waters are included in its waters under the "Nine Highway" map which is not recognized by the international community.
According to Farhan, the letter from the Chinese diplomat is a threat because this is the first time Beijing has tried to impose a Nine Dash Line agenda on Indonesian rights under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
According to Farhan, the Indonesian government remained silent with the letter because it did not want diplomatic tensions with China, which is the Southeast Asian country's biggest trading partner.
