Indonesian Government Officials Withdraw from South China Sea Arbitration Conference

Officials from the Indonesian government cancelled their scheduled attendance at a conference commemorating the 10th anniversary of the South China Sea arbitration ruling in Jakarta on Monday and Tuesday (13-14/7/2026). The event was organised by the Philippines-based institution FACTS Asia in collaboration with several Indonesian think tanks. The commemoration refers to the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling on 12 July 2016, which favoured the Philippines in its maritime dispute with China. Conference organiser Prof Arie Afriansyah stated that the event sought to involve as many Indonesian government officials and academics as possible. Unfortunately, on the day of the event, officials who had confirmed their attendance cancelled after receiving a prohibition from their superiors. According to Republika’s records, the list of speakers included a director-general from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and TNI officials. However, Arie said they all failed to appear at the last minute. “There are no Indonesian government officials present, even though they were previously scheduled to deliver keynote speeches and act as speakers,” he said. Arie claimed the conference had been meticulously prepared and that the organisers had received support from several ministries and government agencies, marked by the acceptance of officials as speakers. “However, just before the conference, we were informed that the support had been withdrawn,” said the University of Indonesia law professor.