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China’s top diplomat curries favor with Indonesia
Prabowo thanked Beijing for a “very pleasant reception” earlier this month, a trip analysts believe was motivated by China seeking to more closely align with Indonesia in a contest of influence with the US.
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This handout picture taken and released on April 18, 2024 by the Presidential Palace shows President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (second right) meeting with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (third left) at the Palace in Jakarta. (AFP/Handout/Indonesian Presidential Palace)
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hina’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday praised Indonesia’s next leader and admonished the United States for being “egotistical” about the Gaza war during a stopover in Jakarta on his whirlwind tour of the Asia-Pacific, which also saw efforts to deepen bilateral cooperation amid regional and global turmoil.
Wang met with incumbent President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, as well as his Indonesian counterpart Retno LP Marsudi and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, just weeks after the latter returned from China’s capital Beijing with praise from President Xi Jinping over his success in the recent presidential election.
Wang continued the Chinese overtures to the president-elect in a visit to the Defense Ministry, where the two figures spoke about future defense cooperation.
“Once again, allow me to congratulate his excellency for being elected as the president of the Republic of Indonesia with the most votes in the history of Indonesian elections,” Wang said through an interpreter after the hour-long talks.
China, he said, was optimistic that Prabowo would be able to valiantly “carry out the difficult task” of leading Indonesia toward a “glorious” future.
Read also: China foreign minister says Beijing and Jakarta want regional peace and stability
Meanwhile, Prabowo said it was a “great honor” to receive Wang’s visit and thanked Beijing for a “very pleasant reception” earlier this month, a trip that analysts believe was motivated by China’s desire to more closely align with Indonesia’s next government in a contest of regional influence with Washington.
