China/Indonesia/South China Sea: Indonesia President Joko Widodo: China Claim to South China Sea Has 'No Legal Basis'

Mar 23, 2015 | Nigel Wilson, International Business Times
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Indonesian President Joko Widodo has said China's claim to much of the South China Sea has no foundation in international law, according to a report in a Japanese newspaper.

Beijing claims the vast majority of the South China Sea, which is thought to be rich in resources such as oil and gas. The Chinese claim overlaps with several others, including those of Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.

The territorial dispute has been a long-running source of tension that led to outbreaks of violence in 2014, after Vietnamese and Chinese ships clashed over a Chinese oil rig that began operating in disputed waters.