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‘Do we realise how important Indonesia is?’: What Prabowo hopes for Jakarta from new US defence deal
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A 2025 photo shows Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto (left) meeting US President Donald Trump at a world leaders' summit in Egypt on ending the Gaza war.
PHOTO: REUTERS
JAKARTA – Indonesia and the United States have inked a new defence partnership, described by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth as “major”. For watchers in the American capital, this looks like yet another move in the big-power contestation for influence in Asia.
Yet, President Prabowo Subianto likely sees it as something else: an affirmation of his view that major powers must reckon with Indonesia’s strategic position, and a chance to raise the country’s standing.
