The Construction of Natuna Military Base in Response to China^s Claim Syahrul Akmal Latif (a), Muhammad Arsy Ash Shiddiqy (b)
a) Criminology Department. Faculty of Social and Political Science, Universitas Islam Riau
b) International Relations Department. Faculty of Social and Political Science, Universitas Islam Riau
Abstract
The Indonesia-China dispute arose after the People^s Republic of China incorporated the Natuna area into its territory and doing reclamation and then expanded small islands such as Mischief Reef and Subi Island as part of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Natuna consists of seven islands with Ranai as a capital city. In 1597 the Natuna Islands were actually included into territory of the Kingdom of Pattani and the Kingdom of Johor in Malaysia. After Indonesia^s independence, the delegation from Riau handed over sovereignty to the republic based in Java. On May 18, 1956, Indonesia officially registered Natuna island as its territory to the United Nations. Although Indonesia is not a claimant in the South China Sea dispute, Jakarta and Beijing have long been at loggerheads in the Natuna region. The construction of an integrated Indonesian military base in Natuna is not only to send a strong message to China, but also part of Indonesia^s efforts to emerge as a real maritime player in the Indo-Pacific region. This paper uses a qualitative approach and the theoretical concept used is the Deterrence Effect theory, as well as a concept of Defense and Security. The results of this research indicate that Indonesia responds quickly to all actions taken by China to interfere with Indonesia^s sovereignty, one of which is to build an Integrated Military Base in Natuna as a Deterrence Effect against all Chinese claims to Indonesian sovereignty.
Keywords: Military Base, Indonesia, Natuna, China, Deterrence Effect
