Similar Stories to Amid Disputes, Indonesia Renames Part Of South China Sea on Bing News

BEIJING (AP) — A look at recent developments in the South China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons in waters crucial for global commerce and rich in fish and potential oil and gas reserves: ___ EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a weekly look at the latest developments in the South China Sea, the location of several territorial conflicts that have raised tensions in the region. ___ INDONESIA RENAMES PART OF SOUTH CHINA SEA TO SECURE EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE Indonesia has named waters in its exclusive economic zone that overlap with China's expansive claim to the South China Sea as the North Natuna Sea, an assertion of sovereignty that has angered Beijing. The decision announced Friday by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs has been in the works since mid-2016 and was vital to law enforcement at sea and securing Indonesia's exclusive economic zone, said Arif Havas Oegroseno, the deputy minister for maritime sovereignty. He said the name would reduce confusion and is already used by the oil and gas industry for the waters. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said at a regular news briefing that the "so-called change of name makes no sense at all.Read more on NewsOK.com