Posted on 03/29/2016 5:55:26 PM PDT by george76
China has just had a run-in with its only friend in the South China Sea, and that could complicate matters for Beijing as it continues to try to take a more aggressive stance in the region.
On March 19, an official Indonesian vessel detained a Chinese fishing trawler that was operating in Indonesia's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the coast of the Natuna islands.
The islands are on the periphery of the South China Sea, and their EEZ abuts China's self-declared Nine-Dash Line, which Beijing uses to mark its claims in the region.
In the past, Indonesia has not had any issues with China's increasingly aggressive actions in the region. However, after Jakarta seized the Chinese trawler, things got awkward quickly for the two nations.
While towing the Chinese vessel toward the Natuna islands, a Chinese coast guard ship rammed the Indonesian vessel in an attempt to free the Chinese boat
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This led to Jakarta issuing a protest to Beijing over a violation of the “sovereignty of Indonesia’s territorial waters." Indonesia also managed to take the eight crew members of the Chinese vessel into custody.
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Indonesia's diplomatic tensions with China put it in a similar position to much of the rest of the region. Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Taiwan all also protest China's claims in the region and have attempted to push back on Beijing's territorial claims.
(Excerpt) Read more at finance.yahoo.com ...
Other than the painting, is there a difference between the Chinese coast guard and the Chinese navy?
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