China and Indonesia vow to boost defence ties as Prabowo Subianto seeks to reassure Beijing ahead of inauguration

Indonesian president-elect and defence minister Prabowo Subianto meets Chinese defence chief Dong Jun on first overseas trip since winning election

They pledge to step up joint military drills and personnel exchanges

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Indonesia’s president-elect Prabowo Subianto (left) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday. Photo: Xinhua via AP

Published: 8:00pm, 3 Apr 2024Updated: 8:08pm, 3 Apr 2024

China pledged to strengthen joint military exercises and personnel exchanges with Indonesia as president-elect Prabowo Subianto visited Beijing.

Prabowo, currently serving as Indonesia’s defence minister, met Chinese defence chief Dong Jun on Tuesday as part of his first overseas trip since his country’s election in February. Earlier in the week, Prabowo met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.

Dong told Prabowo that as the world and the region face multiple challenges, the two countries should “work together to safeguard international fairness and justice as well as regional security and stability”.

“The Chinese military is willing to consolidate strategic trust, deepen joint exercises and training, and increase personnel exchanges with the Indonesian military,” Dong said, according to the Chinese defence ministry.

Prabowo agreed, according to a statement from Jakarta, saying Indonesia was willing to strengthen defence cooperation with China and continue promoting the development of ties between the armed forces of the two countries.

Prabowo is set to take office as Indonesia’s next leader in October, succeeding Joko Widodo. He began a rare pre-inauguration trip to China on Sunday to reinforce friendly ties and offer reassurance to Beijing about future policies.

But Jakarta, a key member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, has maintained a policy of non-alignment amid rising tensions in the South China Sea. And it chose Japan – a US ally – as the next stop on Prabowo’s tour.

Prabowo told Xi on Monday that he would continue Widodo’s “friendly policy” towards China and was ready to strengthen coordination on international and regional affairs.