Editorial | Prabowo important partner for China in times of uncertainty
New Indonesian president, who has pledged not to take sides between Beijing and Washington, looks set to lead way on foreign policy
Indonesia could hardly be more strategically placed, as a vast archipelago that sits astride regional sea lanes and important links between the Pacific and Indian oceans. A reminder of that was the high-level international and regional representation at the inauguration of President Prabowo Subianto, including Southeast Asian leaders and Vice-President Han Zheng, personally representing President Xi Jinping.
It is seven months since Indonesians elected Prabowo as his country’s eighth president ahead of the constitutionally mandated retirement this month of Joko Widodo. That did not detract from the spectacle of the historic and peaceful transfer of power. A congratulatory message from Xi said he would maintain “close strategic communication” with Prabowo.
Beijing and the incoming leadership in Jakarta lost no time in flagging the importance of their relations, with Prabowo having accepted an invitation to China as president-elect in April. China is Indonesia’s biggest trade partner. At about the same time, Prabowo visited Japan, a reminder of Indonesia’s non-aligned foreign policy and how he has said Jakarta will not be drawn into taking sides between China and the United States.
Indonesia, which declared independence from the Netherlands in 1945, has largely healed the wounds of anti-communist, anti-Chinese violence in the 1960s, and anti-China riots over food shortages and unemployment in 1998. A stable Indonesia with an open foreign policy is important to global stability, and not just because it is the fourth most populous nation and third biggest democracy. It is the biggest economy in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), which has a total population of 650 million and is the focus of Chinese efforts to build an economic partnership to balance fraught relations with the US and Europe. After Prabowo’s poll win, Xi said he attached great importance to the development of bilateral relations with Indonesia – also a partner of the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s plan to grow global trade – and looked forward to working with him.
Indonesia’s new leader was twice defeated by Widodo in presidential elections before joining his administration as defence minister. Earlier, alleged human rights abuses as an army commander during the 1998 riots led to his being sanctioned by Washington and refused US entry for a time.
It appears Prabowo will take the lead on foreign policy. This is to be welcomed in uncertain times when diplomacy is often best exercised at the highest level. Domestically, he has set ambitious economic development goals including a growth target of 8 per cent – up from 5 per cent – and fairer distribution of wealth. But analysts expect he will favour pro-market policies over socialist reform.
