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Whether Trump or Biden, it doesn't matter to Indonesia
For Southeast Asia’s largest economy, the question of whether incumbent US President Donald Trump or Democratic contender Joe Biden will make for a better counterpart is a moot point, with experts predicting that the election result would not have too big an impact on the bilateral relationship – or the rivalry with China.
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President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo gestures during a meeting with visiting United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the Presidential Palace in Bogor, West Java on Oct. 29. The visit came just a week before the US election. (Reuters/Courtesy of Muchlis Jr/Presidential Palace)
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s the United States entered a nerve-wracking period of waiting for votes to be counted on Wednesday to determine its next president, Indonesia had already declared its intention to work closely with Washington, regardless of who wins the election.
For Southeast Asia’s largest economy, the question of whether incumbent US President Donald Trump or Democratic contender Joe Biden will make for a better counterpart is a moot point, with experts predicting that the election result would not have too big an impact on the bilateral relationship – or the rivalry with China.
Following a neck-and-neck race on Tuesday, Trump was condemned for falsely claiming election victory early on Wednesday as the vote count was still under way. And even if he loses, Trump has said he would go to the Supreme Court to dispute the vote count, AFP reported.
The Republican president is running against the Democrats’ Biden, who said "we believe we're on track to win this election” but also warned that getting the final results would “take a while” because of the unprecedented use of mail-in voting during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But Indonesia will not be holding its breath.
Regardless of who wins the US election, there are not likely to be any fundamental changes in US-Indonesian relations, said Dewi Fortuna Anwar, cofounder of the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia.
Read also: ‘New old friend’: Indonesia upbeat on US ties, regardless of election winner
