Indonesia Delicate balance as Jokowi visits China while Miley visits Jakarta

Gary

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What increasingly is looking like as a delicate diplomatic balancing moves as Jokowi vists Xi Jinping in Beijing while US chief of joint force Gen. Miley visits Jakarta and Indonesian military chief of staff Gen. Andika.

JAKARTA – Following on from his brave attempt at shuttle diplomacy between Ukraine and Russia, President Joko Widodo’s visit to Beijing this week may have been framed by the bilateral relationship but it was also clearly directed at getting China to do more to end the Eastern European conflict ahead of November’s G20 summit in Bali.

While it was short on specifics, a typically-bland joint statement after Widodo’s July 26 meeting with President Xi Jinping said the two leaders had reached “an important consensus” in discussing “a wide range of international and regional issues of shared interest.”

Coming after Widodo’s earlier session with Premier Li Keqiang, the statement said Indonesia was ready to work with China to “ensure peace and stability through dialogue and diplomacy,” noting that the presidents had assigned their foreign ministers to discuss the elements and principles of this objective.


In visit to Indo-Pacific, Gen. Milley warns China has become more dangerous​

World Jul 24, 2022 10:45 AM EDT
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The Chinese military has become significantly more aggressive and dangerous over the past five years, the top U.S. military officer said
during a trip to the Indo-Pacific that included a stop Sunday in Indonesia.

U.S. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the number of intercepts by Chinese aircraft and ships in the Pacific region with U.S. and other partner forces has increased significantly over that time, and the number of unsafe interactions has risen by similar proportions.
“The message is the Chinese military, in the air and at sea, have become significantly more and noticeably more aggressive in this particular region,” said Milley, who recently asked his staff to compile details about interactions between China and the U.S. and others in the region.
READ MORE: Treasury Secretary Yellen calls out China trade practices in South Korea visit
His comments came as the U.S. redoubles efforts to strengthen its relationships with Pacific nations as a counterbalance to China, which is trying to expand its presence and influence in the region. The Biden administration considers China its “pacing threat” and America’s primary long-term security challenge.
Milley’s trip to the region is sharply focused on the China threat. He will attend a meeting of Indo-Pacific chiefs of defense this coming week in Australia, where key topics will be China’s escalating military growth and the need to maintain a free, open and peaceful Pacific.

 

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