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China concerns complicate Australians’ feelings toward Indonesia, study finds
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President Joko 'Widodo' Widodo (left) and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) interact with journalists at the Presidential Palace in Bogor, West Java, in June 2022. (AFP/Handout)
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significant proportion of the Australian public places more trust in countries with which Canberra shares China-focused defense pacts than in Indonesia, a Lowy Institute survey has found ahead of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s trip to Canberra.
Indonesia has consistently scored lower than regional peers such as India, Japan, Timor-Leste and the Philippines on the Lowy Institute’s feelings thermometer, which gauges Australians’ favorability and warmth toward nations and international institutions.
Jakarta and Canberra have seen highs and lows in their 74 years of official diplomatic relations, fueled by policy and priority changes in both countries under different administrations.
More recently, Australia’s increased cooperation with its Western allies as it grapples with China’s unprecedented assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific has tested its relationship with non-aligned Indonesia. Jakarta has objected to Canberra’s planned procurement of five nuclear-powered submarines over the next three decades through the AUKUS defense pact, consisting of Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
After nearly two years of expressing concern, however, Jokowi signaled a softening stance toward Australia’s AUKUS and Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) defense pacts in a May interview with The Straits Times.
The Quad groups Australia, India, Japan and the US as they seek to contain China’s territorial aggressiveness in the region.
The latest Lowy poll, which surveyed 2,077 Australian adults, found that while most respondents supported Canberra’s security policies, many shared Jakarta’s regional security concerns.
