Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has hosed down talk of joint patrols with Indonesia in the South China Sea, saying previous comments by President Joko Widodo was about "co-ordinating efforts" over freedom of navigation.
Speaking ahead of his visit to Australia last month, President Widodo was asked by News Corp if there was a possibility of the two countries doing joint patrols in the South China Sea - potentially around Indonesia's Natuna Islands.
"If there is tension like last year, it's difficult to decide this program. But if there is no tension I think it's very important to have patrols together," he replied, adding he would discuss the issue with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
But when asked about this in Jakarta on Monday, Ms Bishop said it was her "understanding the president was talking about co-ordinating our efforts in terms of freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight so there was unimpeded trade."
"It was a question of joint exercises not joint exercises as we would understand it," she told reporters.
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Indonesia's Minister for Maritime affairs Luhut Pandjaitan also told reporters: "I don't know if it is necessary for us to do joint patrols over there."
He said, instead, they would be looking for co-operation on mining, tourism and economic activities.
It's not the first time the issue of joint patrols in the South China Sea has been raised.
In October last year Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said there was no intention to disrupt their relationship with China but that the issue of a joint or co-ordinated patrol had been raised.
"We have agreed to explore options to increase maritime co-operation and of course that would include co-ordinated activities in the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea," Ms Bishop told ABC at the time.
Australia and Indonesia already conduct sea patrols, with Australian Border Force and the Indonesian Coast Guard completing exercises in the Timor Sea earlier this year as part of the countries' partnership on combating people smuggling and illegal fishing.
