How Indonesia’s election will shift cosy China relationship
Indonesia is one of the most important ‘swing states’ in the US-China rivalry and, with a change of government on the way, it appears to be inching towards stronger ties with the West.
Booked out. Thursday was a public holiday in Indonesia and every ticket was sold on the 11.30am fast train service between the two commercial hubs of Jakarta and Bandung on the island of Java.
The Whoosh train takes just 30 minutes to travel about 142 kilometres between the two cities – a journey that can take five hours or more by road. The high-speed electric line is one of the fastest trains operating anywhere – if we could transplant to Australia, you could travel from Sydney to Canberra in about an hour.
Emma ConnorsSenior editor and writerEmma Connors was South-east Asia correspondent from October 2019 until mid-2023, based in Jakarta and Singapore. She has previously edited Perspective and Opinion and has written extensively across the AFR and related titles. Connect with Emma on Twitter. Email Emma at emma.connors@nine.com.au
