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Chinese ambassador visits Prabowo to congratulate him on likely poll win
The Chinese Ambassador held the meeting with Prabowo on Sunday at the latter’s private residence on Jl. Kertanegara in an upmarket district of South Jakarta.
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Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto (left) and Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Lu Gang (right) take a picture with the former's pet cat Bobby at a private event in South Jakarta on Feb. 18, 2024. (The Jakarta Post/Antara)
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hinese Ambassador to Indonesia Lu Gang visited Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto at his private residence in South Jakarta over the weekend to congratulate the former general on his apparent win in the 2024 presidential election.
The Chinese Ambassador held the meeting with Prabowo on Sunday at the latter’s private residence on Jl. Kertanegara in an upmarket district of South Jakarta.
"Congratulations," Lu said to Prabowo while the two shook hands, according to a statement published by Antara state news agency.
"Thank you," Prabowo responded.
No details were available from the meeting other than the revelation that the two discussed Prabowo's cat Bobby, which has often made appearances on the defense minister's social media accounts.
"Let's take a picture with Bobby," Prabowo told Lu.
Unofficial quick counts from the election point to a sweeping victory for 72-year-old Prabowo.
The Prabowo-Gibran Rakabuming Raka ticket clinched about 58 percent of the vote in unofficial quick counts by independent pollsters after Wednesday's election. These counts have proven to be accurate in past elections.
Once in office, Prabowo will have to balance relations with two global powers, as the United States and China compete for regional influence.
He has committed himself to the long-standing non-aligned foreign policy that has allowed Indonesia to reap substantial investment from Beijing while maintaining ties with Washington.
Prabowo is expected to try to keep both happy while building Indonesia's military power.
He was once on a US visa blacklist over alleged human rights abuses under dictator Suharto in the late 1990s, but former US president Donald Trump invited him to Washington as defense minister.
