Jakarta: Newly-inaugurated Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will embark on his first overseas trip to China later this week, as confirmed by an official statement on Tuesday. Invited by President Xi Jinping, Prabowo is scheduled to undertake a state visit to China from Friday to Sunday, as stated by China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.
According to Anadolu Agency, this visit will mark the inaugural foreign trip for the 73-year-old Prabowo since his inauguration last month. Indonesia and China, as maritime neighbors, share a substantial bilateral trade relationship valued at approximately $150 billion. China has maintained its position as Indonesia’s largest trading partner for over a decade. However, the two nations have also experienced tensions over competing claims in the disputed South China Sea. Last month, Indonesia reported that it had repelled a Chinese coast guard ship three times in just a few days in waters off its coast, as the ship reportedly interfered with a survey conducted
by a vessel contracted by Indonesia’s state energy firm, Pertamina.
Following his visit to China, President Prabowo is expected to travel to the United States and then to Peru for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, where Indonesia holds the distinction of being the only representative from Southeast Asia. Subsequently, he will continue to Brazil for the G20 summit.
In related news, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman announced that Italian President Sergio Mattarella will undertake a week-long state visit to China starting Thursday. The annual trade between Italy and China has reached around $80 billion, with Italy being the only G7 nation to have participated in China’s Belt and Road Initiative before exiting last December. Earlier this year, during a visit by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Chinese leader Xi Jinping emphasized the need for Beijing and Moscow to ‘expand common ground,’ following the first in-person meeting between the two since Italy’s withdrawal from the BRI.