The president said Jakarta will safeguard its sovereignty in the contested waterway days after signing a maritime deal with Beijing.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said he would "always safeguard our sovereignty" when asked about the issue of the South China Sea, adding partnershi..

BEIJING, Nov 10 (Reuters) - China and Indonesia signed deals worth $10 billion at the Indonesia-China Business Forum in Beijing on Sunday, spanning sectors including food, new energy, technology, and biotechnology, Chinese state media reported.

Over the weekend, the two nations signed a joint development agreement that refers to “overlapping claims” in the disputed waterway.

Chinese and Indonesian firms will sign business agreements totaling more than $10 billion on Sunday, President Prabowo Subianto said as he met his counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing during a state visit.

Indonesia said on Monday it does not recognise China's claims over the South China Sea, despite signing a maritime development deal with Beijing, as some analysts warned the pact risked compromising its sovereign rights.

The deals included a controversial agreement on economic activities in areas around the Natuna Islands in the South China Sea.

Indonesia and the United States on Tuesday underscored their “unwavering support” for upholding freedom of navigation and “respect for sovereign rights and jurisdiction” in their talks on the South China Sea.

China is putting ever-greater pressure on the Philippines to cede its sovereign rights in the South China Sea, Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro said on Tuesday after a meeting with his Australian counterpart in Canberra.

China is stepping up pressure on the Philippines to concede its sovereign rights in the South China Sea, Manila's Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said on Tuesday after meeting his Australian counterpart in Canberra.