PRESIDENT Prabowo Subianto will visit China this week, Beijing and Jakarta said, on his first foreign tour as he seeks a more prominent position for Jakarta on the world stage.
The 73-year-old ex-general’s state visit will take place from Friday to Sunday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a statement.
Prabowo was sworn in on Oct 20, pledging to stick to Jakarta’s traditionally non-aligned foreign policy while making the world’s fourth-most populous nation more active abroad.
Beijing and Jakarta are key economic allies, but the archipelago nation is trying to stop foreign vessels from fishing in its waters, saying it costs the economy billions of dollars annually.
Last month, Indonesia drove a Chinese coast guard ship from contested waters in the South China Sea three times. Chinese vessels have also entered Indonesia-claimed areas at the southern edge of the waters, drawing protests from Jakarta.
The incidents are an early test for newly-inaugurated Prabowo, who has pledged to bolster the defence of Indonesian territory. — AFP
