Indonesia to boost military cooperation with China Fabiola Desy Unidjaja The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is slated to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Santiago, Chile, later this month to discuss mutual cooperation in various fields, especially military.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said on Friday Chinese deputy prime minister Tan Jiaxuan conveyed President Hu's request for bilateral talks during his meeting with Susilo.
"There are various strategic issues that we can discuss in the planned meeting in Chile, including cooperation in the military industry," Hassan said, after accompanying Susilo in the meeting.
Tan is the most senior Chinese official that has met Susilo since the latter took office on Oct. 20.
Hassan said military cooperation between the two countries had been discussed while Susilo was the coordinating minister for political and security affairs in the previous government. As a minister, Susilo visited China early this year.
"The Chinese government has agreed to support Indonesia in renewing its military equipment and to build a military industry here," Hassan said.
Susilo is also expected to meet Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Vientienne before the APEC meeting.
Indonesia, under former president Megawati Soekarnoputri, desperately sought other sources of military equipment as a result of an embargo imposed by the United States following the 1999 atrocities in East Timor that implicated the Indonesian Military (TNI). No TNI officers brought to trial for the mayhem were found guilty either by the ad hoc human rights tribunal or the higher court.
The shooting incident at employees of the American-based mining company in Papua in August 2002 had provided more reason for the U.S. to maintain the embargo. The U.S. has been involved in the investigation of the case.
During Megawati's tenure, Indonesia bought military equipment from Russia and other Eastern European countries.
Hassan said that Indonesia needed to renew its military equipment and China, which has grown as a major arms supplier, could fulfill Indonesia's demand.
Aside from military cooperation, China also intends to increase mutual cooperation with Indonesia in other fields, such as energy, fisheries and agriculture.
"The Chinese special envoy also confirmed the attendance of Chinese President Hu in the Asia-Africa Summit in April 2005 in Bandung, and invited President Susilo to visit China early next year," Hassan said.
Indonesia severed its diplomatic ties with the communist state following an abortive coup attempt blamed on the Indonesian Communist Party in 1965. The relation was restored in 1990.