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US, Chinese leaders wise enough to talk, settle differences, Prabowo says
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Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto arrives for the US-ASEAN bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 10, 2022. (AFP/Roslan Rahman)
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s tensions between the United States and China loom over Asia's premier security conference, the 2023 Shangri-La Dialogue, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto has expressed optimism that leaders of both countries are wise enough to communicate to defuse tensions.
Speaking on the second day of the three-day conference in Singapore, Prabowo said the current security situation in the region had been dominated by tensions resulting from the rise of China as a great power amid the US’ current status as a preeminent global power.
“History teaches us when a rising great power meets a preeminent global power, tensions do rise. The historical record shows many of these conflicts result in open conflict,” Prabowo said on Saturday, as broadcast on the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) YouTube channel.
He said some observers had suggested that the China-US rivalry had become a new Cold War, and even if Indonesia was not involved in any open conflict, it could still be affected by the tensions, especially if they involved nuclear weapons.
“If there is a nuclear war, the difference between those directly involved and Indonesia is that we will die a slower death, but we will suffer as well,” Prabowo said.
However, Prabowo opined that the leaders of China and the US were wise enough to know the burden of being leaders of great nations and civilizations.
“I am convinced that the leaders of both China and the United States and the West will resolve these conflicts through compromise, cooperation and with humanism resulting in a peaceful resolution of their differences.
