On 26 August, Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia took a question from local media on South China Sea-related content in the United States DoD and Indonesia MoD Joint Press Statement, released by the US Department of Defense on 24 August.

Q:According to the official website of the US Department of Defense, a joint press statement was issued after US Secretary of Defense and Indonesian Defense Minister met in the US on 24 August. It says and I quote, “They shared the view that the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea are inconsistent with international law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.” What is the Chinese Embassy’s comment?

A: We noted the statement released by the US DoD. However, we’re informed by the Indonesian side that what the US side described is not true. In fact, no such content can be found in the press release by the Indonesian side on the same meeting.

China, Indonesia and other regional counties share common aspirations and interests to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and work together for development. Countries outside of this region should respect it. We oppose to certain country’s attempts to sow discord and stir up troubles in total disregard of the well-being of the people in this region.