September 10, 2024
JAKARTA – Defense Minister and president-elect Prabowo Subianto has completed a high-profile diplomatic tour of five ASEAN nations a little over a month before his inauguration as the country’s new leader in October, a move seen by many as a way to bolster the country’s influence within the region amid rising tensions.
The tour started on Thursday in Brunei, where Prabowo met with Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah at the Nurul Iman royal palace in Bandar Seri Begawan with the aim of enhancing defense cooperation, including advancing military technology and arranging for Bruneian military personnel to study at the Indonesian Defense University.
“By sharing technology and expertise, we can develop defense systems that meet our needs,” Prabowo said at the meeting, as quoted in a press statement issued by his office.
The minister left for Vientiane on Thursday evening and met with Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith and Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone the following morning. Together, they discussed ways to improve bilateral ties and address tensions in ASEAN. Laos is serving as the bloc’s rotating chair this year, succeeding Indonesia’s 2023 chairmanship.
“We understand that Indonesia and Laos not only have bilateral relations but also a commitment to regional stability and security in the ASEAN community,” Prabowo said on Friday.
Later on that day, the former Army general traveled to Cambodia to meet Prime Minister Hun Manet and his father, President of the Senate Hun Sen, where they highlighted collaborative efforts for ASEAN’s welfare and development.
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Prabowo then took a quick detour to Thailand to attend a dinner hosted by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in Bangkok. The two were accompanied by their respective children, Ragowo “Didit” Hediprasetyo and Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thailand’s newly elected prime minister.
Prabowo’s official tour concluded in Malaysia on Saturday, where he met with King Ibrahim Ismail and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Prabowo praised Indonesia and Malaysia’s special relationship and talked about opportunities to strengthen bilateral ties further, particularly in defense.
“I reaffirm the commitment of the Indonesian Defense Ministry to jointly create harmonious and mutually beneficial bilateral defense relations for both countries,” Prabowo said.
The president-elect’s ASEAN tour followed his visits to the world’s major powers shortly after his victory in the 2024 presidential election was confirmed.
In April, Prabowo visited China and Japan to meet with President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, respectively. Shortly after, he embarked on a European tour to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin, among others.
On Aug. 20, Prabowo concluded a visit to neighboring Australia, where he met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
He signed a defense pact with his counterpart Richard Marles in Central Java days later, deepening defense relations between the two nations.
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While the majority of the visits were focused on the advancement of defense cooperation, observers also view Prabowo’s itinerary as an attempt to reassert Indonesia’s “free and active” foreign policy, especially amid the intensifying rivalry between the United States and China.
Tensions in Southeast Asia have risen in recent years amid the emergence of security alliances on either side of the Washington-Beijing rivalry, a major power feud that has also shaped the dynamics of the South China Sea dispute.
China’s sweeping claims over the South China Sea have caused decades of diplomatic strife with several ASEAN member states, most notably the Philippines, which has joined hands with the US and Japan to protect its waters.
Beijing, meanwhile, has partnered up with Moscow and conducted a live-fire naval exercise in the disputed waters in response the Washington-Manila alliance.
Prabowo’s recent ASEAN tour was seen as an extension of Indonesia’s “good neighbor policy”, intending to reassure fellow ASEAN members that they remained a priority for the incoming leader despite his engagements with global powers.
“It’s only natural that Prabowo [toured ASEAN member states] because he’s aware that ASEAN countries want an explanation directly from him of what he has discussed [in his recent meetings] with Xi or Putin, for instance,” International relations analyst Teuku Rezasyah said on Monday.
At the same time, Teuku said the trip, particularly in regard to the audiences Prabowo had, not only with heads of state but also royals, served to build his rapport with other nations as the incoming president of Indonesia, which has long taken a leading role in ASEAN.
“I think Pak Prabowo is trying to position himself as a leader, and he wants [to be a leader] of Indonesia not only in its government affairs but also its diplomacy and defense. He also wants to show that he’s still the leader even among [other ASEAN] heads of state,” Teuku added.