Joe Biden will seek to boost ties with Indonesia ahead of meeting China’s Xi Jinping

Ahead of his meeting with Xi Jinping this week, Joe Biden will seek to bolster ties with Indonesia during a one-on-one meeting with Joko Widodo at the White House.

US President Joe Biden, right, with Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the G20 summit meeting in Bali in November 2022. Picture: AFP

Joe Biden will welcome Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the White House on Monday in a bid to boost defence and trade ties with the world’s biggest Muslim nation, taking advantage of the ­increased threat posed by China in the Indo-Pacific region to thrash out a “comprehensive strategic partnership”.

Mr Biden will host the Indonesian leader in the Oval Office for one-on-one talks on Tuesday AEDT, two days before the pair ­attend the APEC summit in San Francisco, along with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Anthony ­Albanese and more than 15 other heads of state or government.

A senior administration official said Indonesia, Australia’s biggest neighbour and a founding signatory of China’s controversial Belt and Road Initiative, was increasingly concerned by “a much more robust set of Chinese activities” near Indonesia’s Natuna islands, which had “certainly garnered the attention of Jakarta”.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which includes ­Indonesia, began its first joint navy drills near the Indonesia island chain in September, following ­efforts by Chinese fishermen to encroach on Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone there.

“It is probably also the case that they are somewhat more uncertain about what to expect with ­respect to the South China Sea,” the official said, referring to ­Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region, including claims to Taiwan and the critical sea routes that pass by Indonesia’s sprawling archipelago.

“Indonesians always have important perspectives on critical ­issues like what they’re seeing with respect to China’s diplomacy and engagement.”

Mr Xi praised Mr Joko, both of whom attended China’s Third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing last month, saying “China and Indonesia were spearheading the region and setting an important example for the world”.

Jokowi, as he is known, was personally invited to Washington in September by Kamala Harris when the Vice-President attended the East Asia Summit in Jakarta, part of US efforts to strengthen ­alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific to offset any expansionist moves by China.

“It will be critical to hear the perspective from Indonesia about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East … I think the President will look to ask Indonesia to play a larger role,” the official also said.

“We are expecting is be able to say that we’re making substantial progress towards growing the ­defence relationship in general by that we mean expanded exercises, and people training within areas like cyber security.”

The Indonesian leader, whose second and constitutionally final term as President ends next year, will arrive in Washington fresh from attending a summit of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation in Saudia Arabia, where Muslim nations discussed how to respond to the Israel-Hamas war.

Unlike the US, which has ­expressed strong support for Israel in the wake of Hamas’s terrorist attacks of October 7, Indonesia and Arab nations have called for an immediate ceasefire, and the summit agenda included a discussion of “the brutal Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people”.

“I know that the President is going to want to listen carefully to what President Widodo heard [in Saudia Arabia] and what his perspectives are with respect to discussions,” the official said.

Similarly to India, Indonesia, in part owing to its huge population, has traditionally pursued a foreign policy independent of Washington, raising eyebrows in June last year by flying to the Kremlin for talks with Vladimir Putin a few months after Russia invaded Ukraine.

The US will treat Russia as a full participant at the APEC summit, another official said on Sunday, despite ongoing efforts by the US and allies to punish Russia, which will be represented by Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk.

The meeting between the US and Indonesian leaders is expected to produce an deal surrounding critical minerals “and the semiconductor ecosystem” as part of a comprehensive strategic partnership.

“Indonesia has a vast supply of critical resources that are going to be essential in the 21st century economies of automotive bills, recyclable capabilities, and issues ­associated with long life batteries,” the official said.