WASHINGTON • US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the launch of a "strategic dialogue" with Indonesia, as the two countries committed to working together on issues that include defending freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.
Meeting in Washington, Mr Blinken and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi also committed to work together against Covid-19 and the climate crisis and to boost bilateral trade and economic ties, the US State Department said.
Indonesia has the largest economy in the 10-member Asean, a bloc that Washington sees as key to its efforts to stand up to China's growing influence in Asia.
The two sides agreed to establish a "strategic partnership" in 2015, but Mr Blinken told reporters while standing alongside Ms Marsudi that the dialogue was only now actually being initiated.
"Indonesia is a strong democratic partner to the United States; we are working together on so many different fronts," he said on Tuesday, adding that Washington appreciated Jakarta's strong voice within Asean.
Ms Marsudi told Mr Blinken a strong partnership with Indonesia would be "a key asset for your increasing engagement in the region". She said the US was an important partner for Asean in implementing its Indo-Pacific outlook.
"It is my hope, and the Indonesian government's, to advance the bilateral relationship with the US, from health to SDGs, from education, to economy, and beyond," she said, using the acronym for sustainable development goals.
A State Department statement on the meeting said the two also discussed steps for Covid-19 pandemic recovery. Mr Blinken noted that the US had donated eight million vaccine doses to Indonesia, and that the countries were also working together on oxygen and therapeutics.
Ms Marsudi and Mr Blinken also "expressed shared views on maritime security" and committed to "defending freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, and continuing collaboration in cyber security and preventing cybercrime".
It said Mr Blinken commended Indonesia's efforts to support Afghanistan's peace negotiations and stressed the importance of restoring Asean member Myanmar to the path to democracy.
On climate, the two sides "discussed opportunities for Indonesia to raise its climate ambition", it said, without elaborating.
The talks came before Mr Blinken participated in a virtual meeting with Asean, several members of which have competing claims in the South China Sea to those of China.
Beijing sees nearly all the strategic waterway as its own and has built up its forces there.
Mr Blinken is taking part in a week of meetings with regional counterparts, part of a US effort to show it is serious about engaging with South-east Asia to push back against China.
Mr Murray Hiebert, a South-east Asia expert at Washington's Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said there had been little time to develop the strategic partnership agreement reached under the Obama administration before former president Donald Trump took office.
"Agreements like this weren't a priority for his administration," he said of a deal stretching into domains, including defence, energy and broader economic ties.
"Hammering out details in all these areas will take some time and require considerable focus by senior foreign policy, defence and economic officials."
REUTERS
