Beijing Protests Indonesia Changes South China Sea to North Natuna Sea

Indonesia recently changed the naming of the South China Sea into the North Natuna Sea. Indonesia's decision to call the South China Sea with the North Natuna Sea triggered criticism from Beijing. 

As quoted from CNN, Spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Geng Shuang considered the replacement of the mention of the name was absurd. 

'This name change is unreasonable and does not comply with standardization efforts regarding the mention of international territories,' said Geng Shuang, Sunday (07/16/2017). 

It is hoped that all countries around the South China Sea to collaborate in realizing common goals are primarily concerned with the security and defense situation around the South China Sea. 

The replacement of the mention of the South China Sea is not only done by Indonesia. Previously, the Filipinos changed the name of the South China Sea to the Western Filipino Sea. 

This triggered China's anger by dragging the Filipino to the International Court of Justice in Den Hague in 2016. In July 2016, the court ruled China was not authorized to intervene in Filipino's decision to name the maritime territory. 

The Coordinating Ministry for the Ministry of Marine Affairs previously launched a map of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI). The new map focuses more on Indonesia's maritime border with other countries. 

Deputy of Maritime Sovereignty Coordination Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Arif Havas Oegroseno, said, there are some new things that cause the NKRI map must be updated. 

One of them relates to the Philippine and Chinese arbitration decisions that provide the jurisprudence of international law that small islets or small reefs in the middle of the sea that can not support human life have no exclusive economic zone (ZEE) rights of 200 nautical miles and the continental shelf. 

So there are some small islands belonging to neighboring Indonesia which only given territorial border 12 nautical miles.