April 19, 2024
JAKARTA – Defense minister and president-elect Prabowo Subianto on Thursday held a meeting with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who arrived in Jakarta for bilateral talks with his counterpart Retno Marsudi.
Wang arrived at around 11 a.m. at the Defense Ministry’s headquarters in Central Jakarta, shortly after wrapping up his session with Retno.
Prabowo and Wang proceeded to hold a closed-door meeting that wrapped up at midday.
The two senior officials did not issue a statement to the press.
Earlier in his meeting with Retno, Wang said that China and Indonesia had pledged to strengthen economic ties and maintain peace and stability in the region.
Wang also called for all parties in the Gaza conflict to exercise restraint, and said the United States should support a United Nations resolution for a cease-fire in Gaza.
“Both ministers expressed resentment over the humanitarian disaster due to the Palestine-Israel conflict. We agree that the UN Security Council resolution on a cease-fire must be fully implemented and without any condition,” Wang said after the meeting, in remarks that were translated into Indonesian.
Wang urged the US to “listen to the international community” amid concerns over the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
Retno said she hoped China would “use its influence to prevent escalation” in Gaza, emphasizing the need for a two-state solution.
President-elect Prabowo visited China at the beginning of April, where President Xi Jinping praised their ties and laid out a vision for regional peace.
China is one of the biggest sources of foreign direct investment in Indonesia and has poured billions of dollars into projects in the nation.