JAKARTA: China became the first country visited by President-elect Prabowo Subianto after winning the 2024 presidential election.
Prabowo, accompanied by his son, Didit Hediprasetyo, left for China today.
“The Minister of Defense, Mr. Prabowo Subianto, today departed from Jakarta to pay an official visit to China until April 2 2024. He took off at 06.00 WIB this morning,” said Head of Public Relations of the Secretariat General of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense, Brigadier General TNI Edwin Adrian Sumantha, quoted by Detiknews.
Brigadier General Edwin said that Prabowo was scheduled to meet with President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Qiang as well as other relevant high-ranking officials.
This visit aims to strengthen cooperation and bilateral relations between the two countries, especially in the defense sector.
Brigadier General Edwin added that this visit was part of ongoing efforts to strengthen dialogue and strategic cooperation between Indonesia and China, which is very important for regional security and stability.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, quoted by Kompas.id, said that President Xi Jinping invited Prabowo to meet from March 31 to April 2 2024, calling him the elected president of Indonesia and General Chair of the Gerindra Party. This term is usually applied to the head of state or head of government.
Prabowo’s choice to make China the first country to visit further shows the strength of Indonesia-China relations.
China is an important trading partner and largest source of foreign investment for Indonesia, which is reflected in the multi-billion US dollar high-speed train project that Beijing supported last year.
After the General Election Commission (KPU) determined the winner of the presidential election, Xi congratulated Prabowo by writing to him.
”China and Indonesia are traditionally friendly neighbors. “I attach importance to the development of China-Indonesia relations and look forward to working with President-elect Prabowo,” Xi wrote.
Through the joint efforts of the two countries, Xi said, the development of bilateral relations has entered the fast track. Political mutual trust has become increasingly consolidated, strategic development ties have deepened, and mutually beneficial cooperation has produced good results.
