But now there may be a new player in the tug-of-war.

Over the weekend, Chinese news agency, China Xinhua News, tweeted about batik, calling it a "traditional Chinese craft'.

Batik is a traditional craft common among ethnic groups in China. Using melting wax and a spatula-like tool, people dye the cloth and heat it to get rid of the wax. Check out how the ancient craft evolves in modern times. #AmazingChina pic.twitter.com/4pNNECZziT

— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) July 12, 2020

Netizens aren't pleased

The news triggered many Malaysians and Indonesians to whom batik is a celebrated art form.

But there were also a few who tried to bring some sense into the discussion, saying that batik or rather the technique of using wax and dye on textile, has existed for a long time and practiced in many parts of the world.

Right now, the Indonesians are leading in the "claim" game but some Malaysians have been giving their two cents too.

Batik sebenarnya dari Malaysia & Indonesia. Titik!So kita boleh consider malaysia & indonesia vs china ke sekarang ni? https://t.co/szGpSiaFWp

— anep (@hanifjamals) July 13, 2020

About the melting wax methode, i think maybe..China is Big Civilization before Java or even Indonesia invented.But for all Batik Making Process, I think Absolutely Not..

— WJS : Wong Jowo Saestu (@WJSamudro) July 13, 2020

this is really amazing, I make batik myself, but the canthing and how to apply wax is very unique. I'm not really sure, where was the batik came from, it's true that the word BATIK came from Indonesia. But batik technique.. really we can find it in India, China, Japan, Malaysia

— Gossy (@Gossygraha) July 13, 2020

The term of Batik belongs to Indonesia. China is allowed to introduce their own style of art, but should be on their original terminology. Not by using word "Batik". Educate yourself first before saying "educate yourself" to others.

— Svarnabhumi (@cobantinggi) July 12, 2020

Was the Chinese news channel wrong?

It is a pretty bold claim by the Chinese news channel so we got curious and dug up a little on the origin of batik and found out that nobody really knows where it came from.

While the term itself is said to orginate from Javanese words amba, which means 'to write', and titik which means dots, the process of using wax and dye on cloth is not uniquely Indonesian.

According to several sources, including Wonderful Malaysia, evidence of batik technique have existed in the Middle East, Egypt, Peru, Japan, East Turkistan, West Africa, Sri Lanka, Europe, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and China as far back as 1,000 to 2,000 years ago.

An article on Batik Guild suggests that batik was practised in China even during the Sui Dynasty between 581 and 618 AD, and in Japan during the Nara period between 710 and 794 AD.

Of course, over time, it has become a form of art that has been honed and practiced most in Indonesia and Malaysia, but that doesn't change the history of it all.