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JAKARTA: China’s foreign and defence ministers met their Indonesian counterparts in Jakarta on Friday for talks seeking greater political and military cooperation, days after a joint navy drill Taiwan described as a “provocation”.
The talks marked “an important milestone in our bilateral relations”, Indonesia’s foreign minister Sugiono said as he welcomed his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.
“It serves as a forward-looking strategic platform, guiding our bilateral partnership across all five pillars — political, economic, maritime, people-to-people, and security.” Indonesia maintains a neutral foreign policy, described as “free and active”, walking a diplomatic tightrope between Beijing and Washington.
Jakarta and Beijing raised Taipei’s ire earlier this month with a joint navy drill off the island’s east coast. The two countries said it was a “passing exercise”, with an Indonesian frigate passing through on its return home from the Russian port city of Vladivostok.
