The exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of littoral states in the South China Sea overlap with China’s nine-dash line, feeding into the territorial disputes between the Asian powerhouse, Taiwan and several nations in South-east Asia.

Indonesia, however, was never a party to the dispute, but it seems to have been dragged into a similar territorial fracas with China, after Beijing said on Monday that the waters in Indonesia’s EEZ are part of its “traditional fishing grounds”.

Jakarta has refuted the claim and, in a rare show of assertiveness, threatened to take the issue to arbitration, following a similar move by the Philippines. A second lawsuit against China may change the state of play in the long-running dispute, but most observers questioned if Indonesia will carry out its threat.

… The Natunas incident may push Indonesia into taking a more active role in the territorial saga, said Mr Emirza Adi Syailendra, an analyst from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. “Although the diplomatic tension as a result of this incident will only be temporary, it will likely push Indonesia to have a clearer and coherent regional policy to dispute,” he added.