Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on Monday summoned Sun Weide, minister counselor of China's Embassy in Jakarta, lodging a protest against a Chinese vessel fishing within Indonesia's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The captain and eight crew members of the Chinese fishing boat were detained by the Indonesian side.

Later on Monday, Hua Chunying, spokeswoman of Chinese Foreign Ministry, said the waters where the incident took place were "traditional Chinese fishing grounds" and demanded Indonesia to release the detained Chinese fishermen immediately and ensure their physical safety.

There is no territorial dispute between China and Indonesia in the South China Sea. Jakarta claimed the area that the Chinese vessel fished in is within the EEZ derived from its Natuna islands, but it also overlaps part of China's nine-dash line. 

The past 10 years have seen a rapid boost in Indonesia's fishing capacities, with fishery exports making up a greater part of its economy. Given the high value of its abundant fishery products, Jakarta has enhanced its coast guard in the region, giving rise to repeated episodes in which fishing boats of countries including Vietnam, the Philippines and China were detained or driven away.

China began to discuss the possibility of fishery cooperation a few years ago with Indonesia, in order to ensure legal fishery development. In October 2014, the two countries inked a bilateral fishing cooperation agreement in Beijing, which would be in effect for three years.

It required Chinese fishing vessels to be registered in Indonesia and comply with tonnage restrictions. Chinese companies were also encouraged to invest in Indonesia's fishery industry on the condition that they could own not more than 49 percent of the stakes.

According to official statistics, 17 Chinese fishery companies with about 400 vessels had established cooperation with Indonesia as of 2013, and their annual output reached 201,000 tons with a total value of 2.53 billion yuan ($389 million). Those fishery products were not all sold to China. A considerable part was processed in Indonesia and used for local consumption. Others were exported to countries like Japan, Singapore and South Korea.

At the same time, some Chinese companies began to invest in fishery facilities in Indonesia, including the Natuna islands and set up joint ventures.

However, Indonesia unilaterally revoked the bilateral fishing cooperation agreement in January 2015. Obviously, Jakarta felt under pressure from China's strong fishing capacities as well as from the increasing fishing activities by vessels of other countries. The breakup of the agreement caused losses to both sides.

Indonesia is endowed with vast waters and rich fisheries. However, the country's fishery development is plagued by a lack of technology and funds, and the processing of fishery products, in particular, is a weak industry. Indonesia is close to China but has no territorial disputes with China. There is a huge potential to tap for the two countries to cooperate on fishery.

The fishing boat episode this time may harm the China-Indonesia bilateral relationship. But as long as both sides could look forward, it will serve as an opportunity for the two to re-negotiate over fishing cooperation.

The key to resuming negotiations is to dispel Indonesia's misgivings about overfishing by China. Beijing should take Jakarta's concerns into account and acquire trust through actively restricting and managing the fishing activities of Chinese boats in the region. Beijing should also organize Chinese enterprises to offer technological support and capital to Jakarta. Should the negotiations succeed, the two countries could gradually establish a fishery development system that can benefit both sides.

Such a cooperative mechanism will further chart a new direction for resolving the South China Sea issue. It also tallies with the basic principle of "shelving disputes and carrying out joint development" put forwarded by late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping.

The author is a senior editor with People's Daily. dinggang@globaltimes.com.cn. Follow him on Twitter @dinggangchina. Follow us on Twitter @GTopinion