China demands Indonesia drop new name for Natuna waters (Jakarta Post, 3 September 2017)
China has issued a demand for Indonesia to reverse its decision to rename the South China Sea (SCS) waters that lie within Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). In July, the Indonesian government named the maritime region in question, which lies north of the Natuna Islands, the “North Natuna Sea.” Channel News Asia reported that the Chinese Foreign Ministry sent an official note to the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing dated Aug. 25, expressing its opposition to the move. In the letter, China said Indonesia’s move to change an “internationally accepted name” resulted in the “complication and expansion of the dispute, and affects peace and stability”.