Comparison of Indonesia's and the Philippines' Foreign Policies Regarding the South China Sea Dispute (2016–2022)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.19109/ampera.v6i01.26048Keywords:
Filipina, Indonesia, Laut Cina Selatan, Joko Widodo, Rodrigo Duterte, Politik Luar NegeriAbstract
The South China Sea constitutes a strategically vital region marked by significant economic potential and intense geopolitical contestation, serving as a focal point of complex international disputes. Its vast reserves of oil, natural gas, and rich biological resources have rendered it a highly contested maritime domain among various claimant states. Central to the dispute is China’s assertion of sovereignty through its so-called Nine-Dash Line, a claim that encompasses nearly the entirety of the South China Sea and stands in direct conflict with the maritime entitlements of other littoral states, including the Philippines and Indonesia, as delineated by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
This article focuses on a comparative analysis of the foreign policy approaches adopted by the Philippines and Indonesia in response to the South China Sea dispute during the leadership of President Rodrigo Duterte and President Joko Widodo (2016–2022). The study employs David Easton’s Political System Theory, which conceptualizes the political system as a dynamic process involving the transformation of inputs—such as demands and support—into policy outputs through systemic conversion mechanisms.
Using a descriptive qualitative methodology, the research aims to elucidate the divergences in the foreign policy strategies pursued by the two administrations. The findings indicate that President Duterte’s stance toward China was notably conciliatory, prioritizing economic and diplomatic engagement, whereas President Joko Widodo adopted a more assertive and defensive posture in safeguarding Indonesia’s maritime interests in the South China Sea.
References
Angkara, C. (2024, October 31). Aliansi Pertahanan Australia dan Filipina dengan AS. https://kumparan.com/cica-angkara/aliansi-pertahanan-australia-dan-filipina-dengan-as-23oPltC9s4G
Astria, R. D. (2018). Analisis Kebijakan Filipina dalam Sengketa Laut Tiongkok Selatan Pada Masa Pemerintahan Duterte (2016-Juli 2018) [Universitas Islam Indonesia]. https://dspace.uii.ac.id/handle/123456789/13325
Beatrice, J. (2020). Kebijakan Politik Luar Negeri Filipina Tentang Laut Cina Selatan Pada Masa Pemerintahan Rodrigo Duterte. WANUA: Jurnal Hubungan Internasional, 5(2), 104–121.
CNN Indonesia. (2022). Jumlah Kapal Asing di Natuna Tembus Seribu per Hari. https://www.cnnindonesia.com/ekonomi/20200105102943-92-462510/jumlah-kapal-asing-di-natuna-tembus-seribu-per-hari
Damping, G., & Windiani, R. (2020). Perubahan Kebijakan Luar Negeri Filipina Terhadap China di Bawah Kepemimpinan Presiden Rodrigo Duterte Terhadap China dalam Konflik Laut China Selatan. Journal of International Relations Diponegoro, 6(4), 619–628. https://doi.org/10.14710/jirud.v6i4.28836
Easton, D. (1957). An Approach to the Analysis of Political Systems. World Politics, 9(3), 383–400. https://doi.org/10.2307/2008920
Hartati, A. Y. (2016). Kebijakan Luar Negeri Republik Indonesia dalam DSengketa laut Tiongkok Selatan (Era Presiden Soeharto Sampai Presiden Jokowi). Jurnal Sosio Dialektika: Jurnal Ilmu Sosial-Humaniora, 1(2), 1–26. http://dx.doi.org/10.31942/sd.v1i2.1710
International Crisis Group. (2021). The Philippines’ Dilemma: How to Manage Tensions in the South China Sea (Asia Report N°316). https://www.crisisgroup.org/asia/north-east-asia/china/316-philippines-dilemma-how-manage-tensions-south-china-sea
Kementerian Pertahanan Republik Indonesia. (2020, February 27). RI – Philipina Tandatangani MoU Logistik dan Industri Pertahanan. https://www.kemhan.go.id/2020/02/27/ri-philipina-tandatangani-mou-logistik-dan-industri-pertahanan.html
Kementerian Pertahanan Republik Indonesia. (2022, March 26). Menhan Prabowo: Industri Pertahanan Indonesia Diharapkan Jadi Pilihan Modernisasi Alutsista Filipina. https://www.kemhan.go.id/2022/03/29/menhan-prabowo-industri-pertahanan-indonesia-diharapkan-jadi-pilihan-modernisasi-alutsista-filipina.html
Krippendorff, K. (1993). Analisis Isi: Pengantar Teori dan Metodologi. Raja Grafindo Persada.
Lemhannas RI. (2024, September 26). Strategi Pertahanan Indonesia dalam Perlindungan Kawasan Maritim. https://www.lemhannas.go.id/index.php/publikasi/press-release/2332-strategi-pertahanan-indonesia-dalam-perlindungan-kawasan-maritim
Manyanua, O. A., Niode, B., & Tulung, T. (2023). Sikap Politik Indonesia Terhadap Sengketa Laut China Selatan Pada Masa Pemerintahan Joko Widodo 2014-2019. POLITICO: Jurnal Ilmu Politik, 12(4), 500–520. https://doi.org/10.35797/jp.v12i4.52212
Mas’ud, M., & MacAndrews, C. (1987). Perbandingan Sistem Politik. Gadjah Mada University Press.
Nuans Asa Septari B., Gistyger Hasudungan Manullang, Aura Fatimah Azzahra S., Bernadine Grace Alvania M., & Gracella Martauli Lumbantoruan. (2022). Respon Indonesia Menghadapi Ancaman Cina di Laut Natuna Utara di Masa Kepemimpinan Presiden Joko Widodo. Jurnal Lemhannas RI, 10(1), 10–18. https://doi.org/10.55960/jlri.v10i1.267
Nugraha, O. N. R. A. C. (2021). Geopolitik Laut Cina Selatan: Strategi Diplomasi Indonesia dalam Menjaga Stabilitas Politik Wilayah ASEAN. Jurnal Lemhannas RI, 9(4), 25–42. https://doi.org/10.55960/jlri.v9i4.414
Pramono, W. T., Darmawan, A., Deffinika, I., & Soelistijo, D. (2020). Geopolitical Implication on Contested Waters; Comparison Between Indonesia and the Philippines Strategy to Overlapping South China Sea Waters. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 412(1), 012034. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/412/1/012034
Ramadani, S., & Trisni, S. (2019). Analisis Kebijakan Luar Negeri Filipina Terhadap Cina Terkait Sengketa Laut Tiongkok Selatan pada Masa Duterte. Intermestic: Journal of International Studies, 4(1), 46. https://doi.org/10.24198/intermestic.v4n1.4
Rutten, R. (2024). Qualitative Comparative Analysis: Learning from Cases. Edward Elgar Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781839104527
Ruyat, Y. (2020). Peran Indonesia dalam Menjaga Wilayah Laut Natuna dan Menyelesaikan Konflik Laut Tiongkok Selatan. Jurnal Lemhannas RI, 5(1), 65–75.
Santosa, P. (2015). Metodologi Penelitian Sastra: Paradigma, Proposal. Pelaopran, dan Penerapan. Azzagrafik.
Sesa, Z. A. (2021). Komparasi Kebijakan Luar Negeri Presiden Joko Widodo dengan Presiden Xi Jinping Dalam Merespons Sengketa Laut Cina Selatan Menggunakan Pendekatan Small Theory. Global and Policy Journal of International Relations, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.33005/jgp.v9i1.2473
Simanjuntak, E. S. F., Tarigan, P. J. B., Sanusi, R., Sembiring, V. U., Simanjuntak, S. S., Gaol, D. N. L., & Siregar, S. B. (2024). Kebijakan Presiden Indonesia Pada Laut Cina Selatan di Depan Masyarakat Global. Doktrin: Jurnal Dunia Ilmu Hukum dan Politik, 2(3), 263–270. https://doi.org/10.59581/doktrin.v2i3.3332
Umar, H., & Naya, C. G. (2020). Upaya Pemerintah Indonesia dalam Menghadapi Hegemoni China di Kawasan Laut China Selatan pada Pemerintahan Joko Widodo Tahun 2016-2019. Jurnal Ilmu dan Budaya, 41(71), 8373–8390.
VOA. (2024, April 4). Filipina akan Langsungkan Latihan Maritim Bersama AS, Jepang, Australia. https://www.voaindonesia.com/a/filipina-akan-langsungkan-latihan-maritim-bersama-as-jepang-australia/7556700.html
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Mohammad Nadhif Samsul Ulum, Rajaa Yusuf Taufiqulhakim, Siti Aisyah, M. Alvian Zaky Munir, Natasya Aulia Zahra, M. Wahyu Diansyah
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work
.png)
