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China's top diplomats are in Jakarta seeking to deepen political and military ties with Indonesia, a move that comes days after a joint naval exercise drew criticism from Taiwan. Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Defense Minister Dong Jun met with their Indonesian counterparts for talks aimed at bolstering cooperation across political, economic, maritime, people-to-people, and security domains.

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It serves as a forward-looking strategic platform, guiding our bilateral partnership across all five pillars -- political, economic, maritime, people-to-people, and security.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono called the meeting an "important milestone in our bilateral relations," highlighting its role as a "forward-looking strategic platform." Indonesia, which pursues a "free and active" foreign policy, navigates a complex diplomatic landscape between Beijing and Washington. The recent joint navy drill, which Taiwan denounced as a "military provocation," was described by both nations as a "passing exercise."

Wang emphasized the importance of "strategic communication" and "strategic coordination" between Beijing and Jakarta, particularly as representatives of the "Global South." He noted the current global climate is "fluid and turbulent," characterized by "unilateralism and hegemonism." The discussions are part of the inaugural "China-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Dialogue Mechanism," intended to align development strategies and enhance political security and defense cooperation.

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Today's world is fluid and turbulent. We are seeing unilateralism and hegemonism. They have dealt a heavy blow to this world as well as to the global development agenda.

Despite Jakarta's engagement with China, including joining the BRICS bloc, its security and defense relationship with Beijing remains less developed compared to its cooperation with Western and Asian partners, according to researcher Pieter Pandie. He cautioned against interpreting Friday's meeting as a significant realignment of Indonesia towards China.

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From the security and defense side of things, the Indonesia-China relationship is still very much less developed... compared with Indonesia's security cooperation with other Western and Asian partners.