Latest News

With careful eye, China courts Indonesia's incoming leader Prabowo

Not long after Indonesia's. inbound leader Prabowo Subianto won the February presidential. election, the Chinese embassy in Jakarta sent him a cat tree and. a packed toy for his beloved family pet Bobby, according to the cat's. official Instagram page.

It belonged to a concerted charm offensive by China, the. second-largest investor in Indonesia behind neighbour Singapore.

Days after Prabowo claimed triumph in the election, China's. ambassador to Indonesia concerned his home to congratulate him. And this week, Prabowo travelled to Beijing at the invite of. President Xi Jinping.

Experts state China is courting president-elect and present. defence minister Prabowo to guarantee the extension of his. predecessor President Joko Jokowi Widodo's policies, which. consist of a strong economic relationship with Beijing and really couple of. irritants.

Analysts however say although Prabowo is anticipated to. continue Jokowi's policies, he might be more unpredictable and. explosive if Indonesia is dragged into geopolitical tensions,. such as the simmering conflict in the South China Sea.

China claims practically the entire waterway, a conduit. for more than $3 trillion in annual maritime commerce, but its. claims overlap those of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the. Philippines and Vietnam, all members of the Association of. Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN).

China's relations with the Philippines have actually nosedived in. recent months due to the fact that of the South China Sea claims and Manila's. growing ties with United States.

Prabowo is expected to want to burnish his credibility as a. nationalist and take a harder stance on the South China Sea,. said Yohanes Sulaiman, a worldwide relations teacher at. Jenderal Achmad Yani University.

He has actually constantly brought with him the idea of the. nationalist, he said. That's his trademark.

Owing to Prabowo's stint as defence minister and a previous. military commander, foreign policy specialist Dewi Fortuna Anwar. stated China may have issues that he will prioritise security. over the economy, which will be at variation with Jokowi's. presidency. He will be more unforeseeable (than Jokowi), she. stated.

The invitation to check out to a president-elect is unusual for. China and it reveals a clear effort at wooing Southeast Asia's. biggest economy, stated Dewi, who has been a consultant to previous. vice presidents.

China wants to guarantee Prabowo continues Jokowi's policy,. Dewi said. The United States and China are jostling to make. sure that Indonesia seeks to them.

' SECRET PARTNER'

On Monday, Prabowo, whose ministry said he went to Beijing. as a defence minister and not as president-elect, said he. assistances better Indonesia-China relations and desires to. continue President Jokowi's policy of friendship with China.

After satisfying Xi on Monday, Prabowo stated he saw China as. one of the key partners in making sure local peace and. stability, including that he sought to boost defence cooperation. with China.

Prabowo promised to continue Jokowi's financial and foreign. policies during his election project. Jokowi's implicit assistance. contributed to Prabowo's success, with his boy as the. president-elect's running mate.

Throughout his presidency, Jokowi actively looked for Chinese. financial investment for Indonesia's nascent electric car market. Indonesia has the world's largest nickel reserves, an essential. material for EV batteries.

Chinese companies, including the world's most significant EV battery. maker Contemporary Amperex Innovation Co (CATL) and. steel maker Tsingshan Group, have constructed plants and smelters in. Indonesia, primarily on the country's Sulawesi island.

Jokowi, who went to China for his very first check out in 2014 after. he was first inaugurated as president, also secured loans from. the world's second-largest economy to money its high-speed. railway worth $7.3 billion.

Indonesia has actually likewise courted U.S. investment, trying to lure. carmaker Tesla into investing and has secured a deal. with Ford to invest in a nickel processing plant on. Sulawesi.

But China's financial investment eclipses that of the U.S. China. invested $7.4 billion in Indonesia for the entire year of 2023,. compared to $3.3 billion from the United States, information from. Indonesia's investment ministry shows.

Xi stated on Monday that China views its relations with. Indonesia from a tactical and long-lasting point of view, and is. ready to deepen all-round tactical cooperation with. Indonesia, mentioning the train as an example.

Prabowo said at an online forum last November that Indonesia was. devoted to its policy of non-alignment and would keep good. ties with both China and the United States.

We want to keep our policy of good neighbourliness in. our region and likewise worldwide, he said, adding that he. admires China's education and fight against corruption.