Indonesia actively involved in resolving South China Sea disputes: President

Indonesia's President Joko Widodo delivers a speech beside Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak (unseen) after a bilateral meeting at Presidential Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, August 1, 2016. REUTERS/Beawiharta


JAKARTA Indonesia is actively involved in resolving territorial disputes in the South China Sea, President Joko Widodo said in a prepared state address on Tuesday.


An arbitration court in the Hague last month ruled that China had no historic title over the busy waterway and had breached the Philippines' sovereign rights there. The decision infuriated Beijing, which dismissed the court's authority.


"Indonesia continues to be actively involved in conflict resolution in the South China Sea through peaceful negotiations after," Widodo said, referring directly to the ruling.


"We continue to push for peaceful resolutions to international conflicts," he said in a speech marking Indonesia's independence day, which falls on Wednesday.


Widodo also called for police and judicial reform to boost legal certainty in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.


(Reporting by Hidayat Setiaji; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

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