In his high-profile tour, less than one month after he officially replaced Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, Prabowo demonstrated his faith that as a prominent middle power, Indonesia would have more open access to the global market not just because of its lucrative domestic market, but also because of its gigantic natural resources. Now, the question is how to materialize the international commitments and economic pledges within a reasonable period of time.

One of the major decisions the President made to accelerate the achievement of his economic and political goals was his readiness to take a pragmatic approach in dealing with Chinese President Xi Jinping. In their joint statement issued after their meeting in Beijing on Nov. 9, the two leaders agreed to work together to utilize resources at the overlapping waters in Natuna.  

Many people feared that Prabowo's sudden change would bring serious implications, including that Indonesia recognizes China's nine-dash line map, which includes the North Natuna Waters.

Let the President directly explain his position to the nation because until now, the background of his decision remains unclear. The President also needs to brief his colleagues in ASEAN on that issue to ensure understanding and necessary trust among the members.

The President has chosen to be a fully engaged foreign policy president. In China, he met with President Xi Jinping, and in the US, he was received by outgoing President Joe Biden. In Peru, he attended the summits of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the world's 20 largest economies (G20) in Brazil. In the UK, he was received by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and King Charles.

 

In Abu Dhabi, he held bilateral talks with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ). Prabowo told his host that his government would prioritize ensuring food and energy security as well as focusing on the downstream industry. MBZ was confident that trade flow between the two countries could still increase steadily, with a goal of $10 billion in total value over the next few years, compared with last year's $4.6 billion.

The two countries already have a steady economic collaboration, and MBZ has a close friendship with former president Jokowi. Prabowo also needs to preserve and step up the intimate relationship. The Rp 16.2 trillion (US$1.1 billion) elevated toll road, which connects Jakarta and West Java, is named after the UAE leader. It means there is a high hope that the royal family will invest more here.

At the G20, Prabowo and France's Emmanuel Macron reiterated the two countries' defense cooperation to procure Rafale jet fighters and a joint venture between French Naval Group and Indonesia's shipbuilder PT PAL to produce submarines. The President has a big ambition to speed up the country's military build-up to counterbalance the neighboring countries.

Agreements with France and the UK are beneficial in upgrading the capacity of the Indonesian military (TNI), while with Brazil, Indonesia needs more alternatives for aviation procurement apart from Boeing and Airbus. But again, we need to remember that in the past, we made some miscalculations in procurements of military equipment.

In  London, Prabowo secured some $8.5 billion in investment commitments from several British companies, which happened just a few days after Brazil's aerospace giant Embraer and PT Dirgantara Indonesia agreed to boost their joint commercial aviation production. Are they all really real?

We should remember diplomacy only sometimes brings concrete results in the short or medium term. The President received a preliminary plan to invest in or cooperate with Indonesia. In the end, it is the market that will have the final say on whether the plan or commitment will become a reality.