Indonesia will summon China's ambassador to the country over diplomatic standoff involving eight Chinese fishermen that were arrested on disputed waters last week. 

Susi Pudjiastuti, Indonesia's Minister For Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, informed reporters on Monday that she will call Chinese ambassador Xie Feng to hold talks about the Chinese trawler accused of fishing illegally in Indonesia's maritime territory.

Like Us on Facebook

According to Jakarta Post, on Saturday Indonesian authorities tried to capture the trawler after detaining eight Chinese crews, but they were stopped by the Chinese coast guard who rammed the trawler before pushing it back into its maritime territory.

Susi Pudjiastuti said that the incident had occurred inside Indonesia's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in disputed Natuna islands, over which both China and Indonesia stake competing claims.    

"We want to avoid a much more serious incident, so we settled on just arresting the eight crew members. The ship got away but we have the eight men in custody to help us investigate this incident," Susi said. 

However, Chinese Foreign Ministry rejected the Indonesian version of the event. The ministry has issued a statement claiming that the trawler was operating well within Chinese waters before it was attacked by armed Indonesian ship, prompting a counter action from Chinese coast guard.

"The Chinese side immediately demanded the Indonesian side to release the detained Chinese fishermen immediately and ensure their personal safety," the ministry said.

Natuna Islands, where the trawler incident reportedly occurred, has been a serious bone of contention between China and Indonesia for decades. Indonesia's EEZ off the coast of Natuna slightly overlaps a territory that is claimed by China.

Apart from Indonesia and China, other neighbors - Brunei, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam - also stake competing claims in the resource-rich South China Sea.                  

TagsSouth China Sea, china, Indonesia and China, Indonesia-China relations, disputed waters, territories, nine dash line