Indonesia's air force is holding its largest military exercise this week, near some of its islands in the South China Sea, in a show of sovereignty over the gas-rich are on the fringe of territory claimed by China, officials said on Tuesday. President Joko Widodo in June launched an unprecedented campaign to bolster fishing, oil exploration and defense facilities around the Natuna island chain after series of face0offs between the Indonesian navy and Chinese fishing boats. China, while not disputing Indonesia's claims to the Natuna islands, has raised Indonesian anger by saying the two countries had "overlapping claims" to waters near them, an area Indonesians call Natuna Sea.

Indonesia to hold exercises in disputed sea. (2016, October 5). Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A9.