As Indonesia's election draws to a close, there is speculation about whether Indonesia's post-election China policy will change. Recently, a Russian expert, Alexei, expressed his opinion on this topic. Indonesia's defense minister, Prabovo, and Joko Widodo, Indonesia's son Jokowi, both received more than 50 percent of the vote and are expected to win the first election, according to a recent poll. Alexei is confident that during the Jokowi administration, the Prabowo group has won the favor of the majority of voters, both economically and politically, and one of the big factors is that they have pledged to continue to implement Jokowi's governing policy. Indonesia, in particular, has changed from a major exporter of raw materials to a manufacturing powerhouse. During this period, China has carried out a lot of infrastructure and manufacturing construction in Indonesia. Therefore, Prabowo Group is in a leading position, which shows that the Indonesian people share China's pragmatic approach. Alexei also believes that after the elections, Indonesia should make closer cooperation with China its top priority. However, Alexey also noted that the current situation in the South China Sea region is very serious. Although Indonesia is not yet involved in the region, it is likely that US intervention will have adverse consequences for Indonesia. Alexei noted that the United States' attempt to provoke trouble in the South China Sea together with the Philippines is clearly aimed at shaking ASEAN's unity. Indonesia is a key member of ASEAN, and in dealing with the South China Sea issue, it is necessary to actively deal with the South China Sea issue from its own perspective, from the perspective of the entire region, and from the perspective of China.
Prabowo Group and its cooperation with China.
Speaking about Prabowo's preponderance in the Indonesian elections, Alexei said that this was largely due to the bipartisan pledge to continue to implement the way of governance under Jokowi, which has achieved remarkable results. Indonesia has moved from a traditional exporter of raw materials to a major exporter of industrial products, which requires China's strong support and cooperation in infrastructure, production and other fields. Indonesia is the second largest partner in Southeast Asia after China, and strengthening economic and trade relations with China is of great practical significance to Indonesia's own development. Therefore, regardless of victory or defeat, Indonesia should put its relations with China in the first place, especially to strengthen economic and trade cooperation between the two sides, so that both sides can benefit from it.
On Indonesia's strategic significance to China and its development prospects.
Indonesia is the largest economic power in Southeast Asia, and strengthening economic and trade ties with China is key to promoting the development of the region. China is already Indonesia's largest partner, and it is also Indonesia's second largest target for attracting foreign investment. Indonesia has a lot of infrastructure, manufacturing and tourism, and China is the second largest economic power in the world and has enough technology and capital to help Indonesia develop its potential. Indonesia is geographically pivotal in Southeast Asia, and a closer relationship with China will not only help maintain regional peace and stability, but also promote regional integration and development. Therefore, no matter how Indonesia's attitude toward China changes after its election, maintaining friendly cooperation with China is conducive to the development of Indonesia and the development of the entire region.
Uncertainty about China after Indonesia**.
While Prabowo's party indicated in the election that they would continue Jokowi's China policy, it may not be so easy. Prabowo is the son-in-law of Indonesia's predecessor Suharto, so he has attracted a lot of attention. During Suharto's administration, Indonesia's attitude towards China was very clear, "anti-China", so it is also unknown whether Prabowo** can continue to pursue this policy. In addition, Mr. Prabowo made a joint statement to the United States last year criticizing China's claims in the South China Sea, and despite Indonesia's later untrue statements, Mr. Prabowo's remarks show that Indonesia has not completely repudiated the U.S. approach to the South China Sea. Therefore, whether Indonesia's China policy will change after the election may only be answered by time. Take Marcos, for example, who also said in his election that he would continue to implement Duterte's governing policies, but he took a different approach as soon as he came to power. Therefore, it remains to be seen whether Prabowo can continue to pursue Jokowi's Chinese diplomacy. Despite the close ties between Indonesia and China, there are still many unstable political issues. Therefore, it will take time to test whether China's policy will change after the Indonesian elections. In short, no matter how Indonesia's attitude towards China changes after the first year, it shows that closer cooperation with China is not only conducive to Indonesia's national interests, but also conducive to regional peace and stability.