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Blinken tells Jokowi US wants partnership on infrastructure, economy
The US commitment was "noticeably strong" including in the economy and infrastructure, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi told reporters, summarising the meeting earlier Monday.
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This handout photo taken and released by the Presidential Palace on December 13, 2021 shows Indonesian President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo (right) meeting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (center) and US ambassador for Indonesia Sung Kim (left) at the Merdeka palace in Jakarta. (AFP/Agus Suparto/Presidential Office)
S
ecretary of State Antony Blinken expressed a strong US commitment to Indonesia during a meeting with its President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, Indonesian Foreign Minister said on Monday.
The US commitment was "noticeably strong" including in the economy and infrastructure, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi told reporters, summarising the meeting earlier Monday.
In his meeting with Jokowi, Blinken "expressed support for Indonesia's leadership in the Indo-Pacific, as the world's third-largest democracy and a strong proponent of the rules-based international order", the US state department said.
The discussion was "warm and open", said Retno Marsudi, who stressed her country's desire to see the US increase investment in the Southeast Asian nation.
After the meetings, Retno underlined the country's willingness to cultivate good relations with all its partners.
"Both the US and Russia (are) two good partners of Indonesia... (which) will always develop strategic trust with all countries and all partners of Indonesia", she said in a video briefing.
After talks with Blinken, Jokowi hosted Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, a close associate of Russia's President Vladimir Putin, Indonesian officials said.
Today, Blinken is expected to deliver an address on the "US approach to the Indo-Pacific", a key US-China battleground.
A top US diplomat for Asia said last week that President Joe Biden is committed to elevating US engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to "unprecedented" levels, ahead of a visit to Southeast Asia by Blinken.
Daniel Kritenbrink, the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, told a news briefing the security aspect of Blinken's trip would focus on strengthening regional security infrastructure in response to Chinese "bullying" in the South China Sea.
Blinken will travel to Britain for a Group of Seven ministers meeting before visiting Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand from Dec. 9-17.
