Indonesia willing to intercede in South China Sea row

MANILA, Philippines — Indonesian President-elect Joko Widodo said his country is willing to mediate in the rising tension over the South China Sea with seemingly no end in sight for now.

Widodo said in an interview with Japan's Asahi Shimbun published Tuesday that Indonesia rejects "solutions through military power" in asserting claims over the strategic waters. Having served as governor of Jakarta, Widodo, known to most as "Jokowi," was declared the winner on July 22 after all the votes were counted from the July 9 election.

"Solutions through diplomacy are desirable. If necessary, Indonesia is prepared to serve as an intermediary," Widodo said.

Indonesia does not have overlapping claims with neighbors over the contested sea, while fellow ASEAN states, the Philippines and Vietnam have been entangled in a bitter rivalry with occasional civilian stand-offs in the waters.

Indonesia and the Philippines have recently  sealed a historic agreement in May drawing definitive boundaries in the Mindanao and Celebes seas to settle their own maritime dispute.

"This is indeed a model, a good example that any border disputes, including maritime border tension, can be resolved peacefully," Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said.

The positive turn came as the regional bickering over the South China Sea has become tense with China's deployment of oil rig and blocking of Philippine-flagged vessels in the area.