| June 29, 2016 | 05:49 GMT |
Indonesia's parliament on June 28 approved a 108.7 trillion-rupiah ($8.25 billion) increase in the country's defense budget for 2016, a nearly 10 percent hike from the original budget for the year, Reuters reported. Jakarta will use some of the funds to upgrade the air base and build a port on the Natuna Islands, whose nearby waters are claimed by China. Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said the upgrades will enable Jakarta to base more warships and fighter jets on the remote island chain. On June 23, Indonesian Prime Minister Joko "Jokowi" Widodo held a Cabinet meeting on a warship off the Natuna Islands and ordered increased patrols in the area in a move to assert sovereignty over waters in the southern part of the South China Sea. Indonesia and China do not have competing territorial claims in the South China Sea, and China recognizes Indonesia's sovereignty over the Natuna Islands. But because of the overlap in territory caused by China's nine-dash maritime line, the two countries have sparred over fishing rights |
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