What Prabowo’s China, US trips say about Indonesia’s commitment to non-aligned foreign policy

IndonesiaNew leader Prabowo Subianto has signaled his commitment to a non-aligned foreign policy by visiting both China and the United States in his first foreign trip as president, analysts say, underscoring his balancing act amid rising tensions between superpowers.

Prabowohands-on approach to foreign engagements was evident during his first international tour after his inauguration in October, which included stops in China and the US, as well as Peru for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and Brazil for G20 leaders. summit.

Amid an increasingly tense rivalry between China and the US, Prabowo made sure to visit both on his first trip, according to Abdul Rahman Yaacob, a researcher at the Lowy Institute’s Southeast Asia program.

“Prabowo tried to maintain the image that Indonesia is non-aligned and exercise Indonesia’s free and active foreign policy,” he said.

In particular, Prabowo had meetings with Xi Jinping and Joe Biden, his Chinese and American counterparts, and also shared on social media a phone call with US President-elect Donald Trump, in which both leaders expressed their admiration for each other.

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Indonesian leader Prabowo Subianto meets with Xi Jinping on his first visit abroad

Indonesia’s non-aligned foreign policy was established in the late 1940s to maintain independence from competing superpower blocs during the Cold War. This approach led Indonesia to play a key role in the establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1961 and to consistently avoid alignment with the great powers while actively engaging in international diplomacy.