From March 31 to April 2, Prabowo Subianto visited China at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, his first foreign trip since winning Indonesia’s presidential election in February. During the visit, Xi Jinping congratulated Prabowo on his electoral success and highlighted the high quality of the two nations’ recent bilateral cooperation, notably exemplified by projects … Read more
In the tumultuous years of the early 1980s, a young Indonesian military officer took part in a series of combat operations in East Timor, then under Indonesian occupation. During one military campaign in September 1983, several hundred East Timorese were killed by Indonesian troops in an incident known to history as the Kraras Massacre. As … Read more
“The first function of the nation is to protect, meaning defense, brothers.” So declared Prabowo Subianto, Indonesia’s minister of defense, in his opening statement to a presidential debate on January 7. The former general continued: “We understand our country is very large, very rich. For hundreds of years countries from far away came to this … Read more
Over the past ten years, China has emerged as a significant foreign investor in Indonesia. Between 2019 and 2022 alone, according to data from the Ministry of Investment, Chinese companies invested $20.9 billion across 9,080 projects in the country. Chinese investments in Indonesia can be categorized into two distinct groups. The first are those of … Read more
Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo has bestowed the country’s second-highest military rank on his likely successor, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, praising his service to the nation but drawing criticisms over the ex-general’s controversial past. Jokowi, as he is often known, presented the honorary rank of four-star general to the 72-year-old in front of high-ranking military and … Read more
President Joe Biden should immediately congratulate Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto on his presumptive victory in the country’s presidential election on February 14. This simple action would signal that the U.S. government understands new and evolving political realities in Asia. China, our geopolitical and economic competitor in the Indo-Pacific, has already done it. So have … Read more
The victory of Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto at last month’s presidential election marks a pivotal juncture in the nation’s political trajectory. Unofficial tallies show the former general winning the election by a significant margin over his competitors, Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo, following two unsuccessful attempts at securing the presidency. Based on quick count … Read more
Last week, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) announced that it would open accession talks with Indonesia, after receiving the approval of the group’s 38 members. In a statement announcing the decision on February 20, OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann described the move as “historic.” “Indonesia’s application is the first from Southeast Asia, one … Read more
Indonesia’s President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has congratulated his Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, after unofficial counts showed the gruff former general clinching Wednesday’s presidential election by a decisive margin. “Congratulations, congratulations. I met them in person, last night,” Jokowi told reporters yesterday, when asked if he had offered his congratulations to Prabowo and his vice-presidential running … Read more
A wealthy ex-general with ties to both Indonesia’s popular outgoing president and its dictatorial past looks set to be its next president, after unofficial tallies showed him taking a clear majority in the first round of voting. Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto presented himself as heir to the immensely popular sitting President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, vowing … Read more