Prabowo, a 73-year-old ex-general inaugurated last month, has pledged to position Jakarta more prominently on the world stage while sticking to its traditional non-aligned foreign policy.

Before departing, Prabowo said he would first visit Beijing, where he is expected to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, then travel to Washington at the invitation of US President Joe Biden.

The trip will include visits to Peru for the APEC summit and Brazil for the G20 summit of major economies, before ending in Britain, where he will meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer, he said.

"It shows that Indonesia is well respected and its presence is needed in bilateral and multilateral meetings to discuss important issues, not only the economy but also the current rising geopolitical tensions," he told a press conference before flying to China.

"I think all parties are waiting to hear about Indonesia's stance and role. This is an honour for us, and we will maintain good relations with all parties."

Prabowo is expected to strengthen ties with both the United States and China asIndonesia's main partners, said Prasetyo Hadi, the state secretariat minister, adding he would discuss potential partnerships in trade, energy, housing and marine sectors. 

Prabowo said he "may visit several Middle Eastern countries" on his way back to Indonesia at the end of the two-week tour.

It is unclear if his Washington visit will include a meeting with Trump but Prabowo's presidential spokesman Hasan Nasbi told AFP Thursday that "there is a possibility" talks with him were on the table.

Prabowo has promised to be bolder on foreign policy than his predecessor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, who focused more on domestic issues such as the economy.

Beijing and Jakarta are key economic allies, with Chinese companies ploughing money into extracting Indonesian natural resources in recent years, particularly the nickel sector.

But last month, Indonesia drove a Chinese coast guard ship from contested waters in the South China Sea three times.

The incidents were an early test for Prabowo, who has pledged to bolster the defence of Indonesian territory.