WASHINGTON β US Secretary of State AntonyΜύBlinkenΜύannounced on Tuesday the launch of a βstrategic dialogueβ with Indonesia, and Washington said the two countries committed to working together on issues that include defending freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.ΜύΜύ
Meeting in Washington, Mr.ΜύBlinkenΜύand Indonesian Foreign Minister RetnoΜύMarsudiΜύalso committed to work together againstΜύcoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)Μύand the climate crisis and to boost bilateral trade and economic ties, the State Department said.ΜύΜύ
Indonesia is the largest country and economy in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a bloc Washington sees as key to its efforts to stand up to Chinaβs growing influence in Asia.ΜύΜύ
The two sides agreed to establish a βstrategic partnershipβ in 2015, but Mr.ΜύBlinkenΜύtold reporters while standing alongside Ms.ΜύMarsudiΜύthat the dialogue was only now actually being initiated.ΜύΜύ
βIndonesia is a strong democratic partner to the United States; we are working together on so many different fronts,β he said, adding that Washington appreciated Jakartaβs strong voice within ASEAN.ΜύΜύ
Ms.ΜύMarsudiΜύtold Mr.ΜύBlinkenΜύa strong partnership with Indonesia would be βa key asset for your increasing engagement in the region.βΜύΜύ
She said the United States was one of the important partners for ASEAN in implementing its Indo-Pacific outlook.ΜύΜύ
βIt is my hope, and the Indonesian governmentβs, to advance the bilateral relationship with the US, from health to SDGs, from education, to economy, and beyond,β she said, using the acronym for sustainable development goals.ΜύΜύ
A State Department statement on the meeting said the two discussed steps for pandemic recovery. Mr.ΜύBlinkenΜύnoted Washington had donated 8 million vaccine doses to Indonesia, and the countries were also working together on oxygen and therapeutics.ΜύΜύ
Ms.ΜύMarsudiΜύand Mr.ΜύBlinkenΜύalso βexpressed shared views on maritime securityβ and committed to βdefending freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, and continuing collaboration in cybersecurity and preventing cybercrime,β the statement said.ΜύΜύ
It said Mr.ΜύBlinkenΜύcommended Indonesiaβs efforts to support Afghanistanβs peace negotiations and stressed the importance of restoring ASEAN member Myanmar to the path to democracy.ΜύΜύ
On climate, the two sides βdiscussed opportunities for Indonesia to raise its climate ambition,β it said, without elaborating.ΜύΜύ
The talks came before Mr.ΜύBlinkenΜύwas to participate in a virtual meeting with ASEAN, several members of which have competing claims in the South China Sea to those of China. Beijing sees nearly all the strategic waterway as its own and has built up its forces there.ΜύΜύ
Mr.ΜύBlinkenΜύis joining a week of meetings with regional counterparts, part of a US effort to show it is serious about engaging with Southeast Asia to push back against China.ΜύΜύ
Murray Hiebert, a Southeast Asia expert at Washingtonβs Center for Strategic and International Studies, said there had been little time to develop the strategic partnership agreement reached under the Obama administration before former President Donald J. Trump took office.ΜύΜύ
βAgreements like this werenβt a priority for his administration,β he said of a deal stretching into multiple domains, including defense, energy and broader economic ties.ΜύΜύ
βHammering out details in all these areas will take some time and require considerable focus by senior foreign policy, defense and economic officials.β βΜύDoyinsolaΜύOladipo and DavidΜύBrunnstrom/ReutersΜύ
