Indonesia's air force deployed four fighter jets to the South
China Sea on Tuesday in a stand-off with
Beijing after Jakarta protested over a Chinese violation of its exclusive economic zone.
The stand-off began in mid-December when a Chinese coast guard vessel, accompanying Chinese fishing boats, entered waters off the coast of Indonesia's northern Natuna islands, prompting Jakarta to summon Beijing's ambassador.
The issue has soured Indonesia's generally friendly relationship with China, its biggest trading partner and a major investor in Southeast Asia's largest country.