Indonesia and Japan promise deeper defense and economic ties as regional tensions spike

BOGOR, Indonesia (AP) — Japan and Indonesia pledged on Saturday to deepen economic and defense ties during a visit by the Japanese prime minister amid heightened global geopolitical tensions.

Shigeru Ishiba arrived in Jakarta on Friday from Kuala Lumpur after meeting Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. His visit to the two countries is meant to promote regional cooperation to counter Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea as the U.S. presence in the region may decrease after President-elect Donald Trump takes office later this month.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto welcomed Ishiba at the Bogor presidential palace, just outside Jakarta, along with greeters wearing Indonesian traditional clothes and a military band that played both national anthems before the two leaders — both former defense ministers — held a bilateral meeting.

During the meeting, Ishiba pledged to support Indonesia’s goal of food and energy self-sufficiency, participate in its defense development and the industrialization of its natural resources, including the strategic mining of minerals, and to provide nutritious meals to Indonesian schoolchildren.

In a joint press conference with Subianto, Japan’s prime minister also promised to help Indonesia become a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The two sides signed an agreement on a Japanese loan of up to 90.4 billion yen ($573 million) for projects including a new port construction at Patimban to improve Indonesian transportation and distribution systems.

Subianto said the meeting was “warm, friendly and intensive,” and that they also discussed the regional situation and rising political tensions.

“Indonesia has a desire to maintain good relations with all nations, so that it can contribute to an atmosphere that can reduce tensions between major countries,” the Indonesian president said.

Malaysia and Indonesia are maritime regional powers near vital shipping lanes and are key to Japanese and global security and the economy.

“Regarding bilateral relations in the field of security, we have agreed to launch discussions between defense officials regarding maritime security from both countries, including engagement in defense equipment technology cooperation,” Ishiba said.

The visit came days after Japanese Defense Minister Gen. Nakatani met with his Indonesian counterpart Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin on Tuesday in Jakarta, where both ministers agreed to continue negotiations on joint development of naval ships and other military equipment and on technology transfer.

Japan is unable to export finished frigates or submarines under its current guidelines on transfer of defense equipment and technology, and it is believed that joint development is the most feasible way to make transfers.

With the talks, Tokyo wants to send a message that its respect for a rules-based international system, in contrast to China’s more aggressive behavior in the South China Sea, where it has vast territorial claims, makes it the best partner for Southeast Asian countries.

Ishiba said in a statement released by his office just after he arrived in Jakarta on Friday that “any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo by force or coercion is unacceptable anywhere in the world.”

Indonesia has pledged to remain non-aligned amid the rivalry between Washington and Beijing but has expressed anxiety over heightening security tensions in the region.

The country has remained on the periphery of the territorial disputes between China and its Southeast Asian neighbors in the South China Sea. It doesn’t have a formal dispute with Beijing though Indonesia said its patrol ships repeatedly drove a Chinese coast guard vessel away from an Indonesian energy company vessel conducting a seismic survey in October.

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Karmini reported from Jakarta. Associated Press writers Edna Tarigan and Mari Yamaguchi contributed to this report.