Indonesia, Japan and South China Sea
The China Coast Guard 3303 vessel passes near the Indonesian KRI Imam Bonjol (383) war ship before it detained fishermen of Han Tan Cou 19038 ship for illegally entering Indonesian waters in Natuna, Riau Islands, Friday (17/6/2016). The Indonesian Navy captured the Chinese -flagged Han Tan Cou 19038 as its fishermen were deploying nets in Indonesian waters.
The election of Donald Trump as the president of the United States is expected to make security in the South China Sea more challenging. It is feared that Trump\'s policies, which are inward-looking, will lead to the dominance of the People\'s Republic of China in the Asia Pacific becoming unstoppable. At least that is what Japan believes.
Japan\'s worries about regional security, especially in Southeast and East Asia, which will be more volatile with the dominance of China, were reflected in a series of discussions held by Japan\'s Foreign Ministry. From January 31 to February 2, Japan\'s Foreign Ministry invited Kompas journalist and researchers of a number of institutions from Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines to Japan to discuss the issues of security and stability in the South China Sea after the election of Trump as the US President. The discussion presented officials of Japan\'s Defense Ministry, senior officials of the office of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and a number of former high-ranking officials of Japan\'s Self-Defense Forces.