Prime Minister John Key has arrived in Indonesia at a time of heightened tensions over the neighbouring South China Sea. China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei all have competing claims in the South China Sea, a key shipping route potentially holding huge oil and gas reserves. He also said there would be pressure on New Zealand to follow the United States and Australia's position on the South China Sea, which was more critical of China. The official visit comes on the heels of a ruling by an international court at The Hague, which said last week that China's claims to the disputed South China Sea had no merit. After the ruling, China warned that it could introduce an air defence zone.

Source: New Zealand Herald July 17, 2016 06:45 UTC