During Jokowi’s presidency, Indonesia’s role in the South China Sea dispute has transferred from peaceful assessment to awry position of protecting its own interest by not antagonizing China head to head. Maritime Axis foreign policy, which has been reiterated by Jokowisince 2014, has brought Indonesia closer to China economically through several energy and transportation projects as well as economic corporation such as Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). At the beginning, Indonesia was not involved in the South China Sea dispute until China’s nine-dashed line in 2009 heightened the dispute. The claim has included Indonesia’s sovereignty of Natuna Island, one of the world’s largest gas fields. The tension has been worse during the second year of Jokowi’s reign. If the first year Indonesia has flourish good- companion with China, several uneasy incidents occurred during 2016 where China has become overly assertive around the Natuna Islands.
Relationship between media and international politics system can be linked as biological organisms that grew together. Both media and dispute issue have an interaction to strengthen and influence each other. The contents of mass media are the most significant source in influencing the preferences and changes of foreign policies from time to time. During the first-year of Jokowi’s presidency, five media such as The Jakarta Post, The Jakarta Globe, Kompas, BBC Indonesia, and CNN Indonesia, have seen the issue of the South China Sea as merely political and law issue. They tend to address Indonesia’s position as non- claimant and have tendency of remain neutral by endorsing peaceful resolution and free of navigation assessment. However, after several incidents occurred in the second-year, the five media start to push the Indonesia government, who seems to be awry, to play assertive role toward the South China Sea, particularly China. The issue is no longer political and law, but altering to defense. The position has switched from neutral to strong tendency of disagreement
toward China’s claim.