Indonesia approves spending more on defence, with eye on China

Jakarta

INDONESIAN lawmakers on Tuesday approved higher defence spending this year to fund, among other things, major upgrades to military facilities in the Natuna Islands, whose nearby waters Beijing said are subject to"over-lapping claims".

Parliament's approval came just days after President Joko Widodo visited the remote island chain to assert sovereignty over the area, in what Indonesian officials described as the strongest message that has been given to China.