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Indonesia, US meet in first strategic dialogue under Biden
Foreign Minister Retno was in Washington, DC, for a three-day trip that saw her become the first top diplomat from Southeast Asia to be received by Secretary of State Antony Blinken this year, amid an increasingly fierce competition between the United States and China.
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United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi walk to meet members of the media after a bilateral meeting at the Department of State in Washington, on Aug. 3, 2021. (AFP/Jose Luis Magana)
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oreign Minister Retno Marsudi and her American counterpart Antony Blinken announced the start of the Strategic Dialogue between Indonesia and the United States on Tuesday, as they sought to revitalize their countries’ strategic partnership that began in 2015.
Retno was in Washington, DC, for a three-day trip that saw her become the first top diplomat from Southeast Asia to be received by Blinken since he entered office, amid an increasingly fierce competition between the US and China.
Indonesia is the largest country and economy in the 10-member ASEAN, a bloc Washington sees as key to its efforts to stand up to China's growing influence in Asia.
Retno said that a strong strategic partnership between the two democracies would be an asset for the US as it sought to increase engagement in Southeast Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific region.
She said the US was an important partner for ASEAN and supporter of the implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.
During their meeting, Retno and Blinken discussed the commitment of the two countries in strengthening relations, particularly on health cooperation, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
Indonesia reiterated its intent to explore long-term cooperation with the US in vaccine development, particularly using mRNA technology in order to strengthen the global health resilience system.
