Jakarta lacks pragmatism at sea

In the latest violence against Chinese fishermen, the Indonesian navy detained one Chinese fishing boat in China's traditional fishing grounds near Natuna Islands in the South China Sea and fired at another Chinese fishing boat, injuring one of its crew members. Responding to the strong protest from China's Foreign Ministry against the June 17 incident, Indonesia argued that its navy had acted to "maintain its maritime sovereignty".

The Natuna Islands are in the waters outside China's nine-dash line. But the 200-mile exclusive economic zone claimed by Indonesia overlaps with a 50,000-square-kilometer area within the nine-dash line, which Chinese fishermen have been using for ages.

Under the "maritime power" strategy, the Indonesian government has used heavy-handed measures against "illegal fishing activities" in the South China Sea.