Drew Angerer | Getty Images News Getty Images Indonesia’s president says the war in Ukraine must end as it raises food and energy prices and puts developing countries like Indonesia at risk. “The most important thing for me is the price of food. Therefore, we want the war in Ukraine to end, to be resolved through negotiations, so that we can concentrate. [on] the economy, “President Joko Widodo told CNBC in an exclusive interview in the town of Serang in Banten province on Friday. “If not, it will never end. This is dangerous for countries, especially developing countries.” Jokowi, as he is widely called at home, said the war must be resolved through negotiation and dialogue. The Indonesian leader attends the meeting of the Group of 7 advanced economies at the invitation of the host country Germany from 26 to 28 June. Russia’s Tass news agency reported last week that Jokowi would meet with President Vladimir Putin on June 30. “After the G-7, I will visit several related countries [to the] food issue, “he told CNBC’s Martin Soong. Jokowi declined to confirm whether he was visiting Russia or Ukraine, one of the world’s largest grain producers and exporters. There is a problem here and the problem is war. In the G-20, we must also invite Ukraine to be able to solve the problem. Joko Vidondo President of Indonesia
The US-China rivalry
The United States and China have been embroiled in a dispute over sovereignty in Southeast Asia, with the United States calling the Indo-Pacific region “the heart of the great American strategy” and China claiming territorial claims across most of the South China Sea. Asked if Indonesia had been trapped in the US-China geopolitical dispute, Jokowi insisted his country was “close friends” with both. The Indonesian president went on to say that Indonesia’s trade relations with the two countries remained strong and that the US and China were both strategic partners in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. We want this region to be peaceful so that we can build our country and have better economic development. Rivalry, let alone war, will not benefit any country. Joko Vidondo President of Indonesia Bilateral US trade in goods with Indonesia amounted to more than $ 37 billion in 2021, while bilateral trade in services was about $ 2.4 billion in 2020, according to the State Department. China is Indonesia’s largest trading partner, with trade estimated at $ 124.34 billion in 2021, according to Chinese customs data released by the Indonesian embassy in China. On whether the Quad strategic alliance or the AUKUS nuclear and security agreement that Australia signed with the United Kingdom and the United States last year risks angering China, Jokowi said: “We do not want our region to become a platform for competition. [between] big countries “. “We want this region to be peaceful so that we can build our country and have better economic growth. Competition, let alone war, will not be beneficial to any country.”
Relations with Australia
Following Australia’s decision to acquire nuclear submarines under the AUKUS agreement, Indonesia said it was “deeply concerned” about the “ongoing arms race and the deployment of power in the region”. Pressing on whether Indonesia’s relationship with Australia deteriorated as a result of AUKUS, Jokowi said: “Most importantly, we want Indonesia and Australia to have [a] better relationship in the future, in investment, in trade and more, we want it to be better “. He expressed hope that relations with Canberra could be improved under the leadership of new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. “We both want our relationship to be better, closer and more specific in investment and trade. Because we already have CEPA of Indonesia Australia, so this is our common goal, to be open so that goods from Australia can be “Indonesia can enter, goods from Indonesia can enter Australia,” he said. “I think it’s a very good relationship.” – CNBC’s Weizhen Tan contributed to this report.
