The President is not interested in talking about a long-term strategy if he cannot see real progress in less than a year. This “credo” held true during his visit to the United States last week, where he first attended a meeting between ASEAN leaders and US President Joe Biden in Washington, and next, attended a business talk with Elon Musk in Texas.

“Looking forward to a stronger ASEAN-US partnership. See you in Bali for the G20,” the President wrote in the White House guest book. The last sentence was clearly aimed at Biden, reminding him that Indonesia is ready to welcome the US president when Indonesia hosts the Group of 20 summit in Bali in November.

With other leaders of ASEAN, minus those from the Philippines and Myanmar, Jokowi attended the US-ASEAN special summit from May 12-13.

From Washington, Jokowi flew to Texas to meet with Tesla owner Elon Musk on Saturday. An advanced team led by Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan had paved the way for Jokowi’s Texas trip.

The meeting between Musk and Jokowi came after a round of working-level discussions on a potential investment in Indonesia's nickel industry and the supply of batteries for electric vehicles.

Representatives from Tesla were in Indonesia earlier this month for meetings regarding a potential battery-related investment. Indonesia has been trying to secure a deal with Tesla on a battery investment and a rocket-launch site for Musk's SpaceX aerospace company for years.

Jokowi’s courting of the big US company is seen as a move to bring the US-China rivalry to a new level. China is among the top sources of foreign direct investment in Indonesia.

“I arrived at the Stargate SpaceX in Boca Chica, Texas, this afternoon. I met directly with my host, Elon Musk. We talked about technology and innovation,” the President posted regarding his meeting with the world’s richest man on his Instagram account on Sunday.

Jokowi must have felt at home when Musk gave him a casual reception, wearing just a t-shirt. The President himself was in his favorite dress code: a long-sleeve shirt, black trousers and sneakers.

Musk accepted the President’s invitation to come to Indonesia in November. In the same month, Indonesia will host the G20 summit.

Jokowi’s itinerary during his US outing followed that of his previous trip to the US in February 2016. At that time, after attending the US-ASEAN commemorative summit hosted by then-president Barack Obama in California, Jokowi held talks with the most important people in Silicon Valley such as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

Prior to last week’s US-ASEAN special summit, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi received a special assignment from the President: to convince Washington that Jakarta would take all possible measures for the success of the G20 summit. Biden has demanded that Indonesia invite Ukraine, which Indonesia has accommodated.  However, Biden does not want to see Russian President Vladimir Putin in Bali.

For Jokowi the outcome of the special summit was acceptable, because the Joint Vision Statement issued after the meeting did not explicitly criticize China regarding the South China Sea and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Concerning Ukraine, as for all nations, we continue to reaffirm our respect for sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity. We reiterate our call for compliance with the UN Charter and international law. We underline the importance of an immediate cessation of hostilities and creating an enabling environment for a peaceful resolution,” says the joint statement.

Biden also announced the appointment of his chief of staff of the National Security Council Yohannes Abraham as the US envoy to ASEAN. In addition, Biden unveiled a US$150 million fund for the regional grouping in addition to the $100 million he pledged during the ASEAN-US virtual summit in October last year. The US total commitment remains a far cry from China’s offer of $1.5 billion for the regional grouping.

Before leaving for Washington on May 10, Retno reportedly briefed the President about the summit. The President especially wanted to hear about the US demand that Putin should be barred from the G20 summit.

As described by a senior government official, Biden understands Indonesia’s position and agrees to give Jokowi more time to find a “win-win solution” regarding the presence of Putin, because as the rotary president of G20, Indonesia must invite all leaders to the summit. Putin has accepted Jokowi’s invitation but there is a possibility that he will not turn up to avoid a “hostile” reception from the US and its allies, mainly Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.

The US boycott would not only hurt its relationship with Indonesia but could become an unnecessary diplomatic victory for China. The group itself is divided about Putin’s presence.

“We are still communicating with various parties to overcome the remaining obstacles,” a government official told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

On the way home, the President made an unscheduled stopover in Abu Dhabi to convey his condolences to the UAE’s new President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, another global investor for Indonesia, following the death of his half-brother Sheikh Khalifa. The new UAE leader has forged a close relationship with Jokowi and he is one of the most likely potential investors in the development of the new capital Nusantara in East Kalimantan.

Jokowi headed home with new confidence, despite the challenges, that the G20 summit would be organized as perfectly as possible. If that happens, it will be a special crown for a president who pays little attention to foreign affairs.

The realization of Musk’s commitment to invest, however, is no less important for the President.

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The writer is a senior editor at The Jakarta Post.