Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indonesian President Joko Widodo yesterday rode bamboo bicycles together as they held talks to boost ties, with Canberra embarking on a diplomatic charm offensive to counter China’s expanding assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region.
Albanese hailed relations with Indonesia and vowed to strengthen them on his first bilateral trip since being elected last month, choosing Southeast Asia’s biggest economy as an early stop in what has become a tradition for new Australian prime ministers.
After an honor guard, Widodo presented Albanese with a bicycle at the presidential palace in Bogor — a city south of the capital, Jakarta — where the pair removed their jackets, donned helmets and rode around the grounds.
Photo: Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP
“Australia’s relationship with Indonesia is one of our most important. We are linked not just by geography, we are linked by choice,” Albanese told a joint news conference held following talks. “Our relationship is ever-deepened by the strategic and economic interests we share.”
Widodo said that good relations between the two nations would contribute to “the peace and prosperity of the region.”
Albanese said he would attend the G20 summit, which Indonesia is to host in November, despite former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison’s reservations about sitting around the table with Russian President Vladimir Putin after his invasion of Ukraine.
Albanese spoke of advancing opportunities together on trade, climate change and regional security with Widodo, who last visited Australia in early 2020.
Indonesia favors a non-aligned position on the Pacific rivalry between Beijing and Western powers.
It is one of several Asian countries that expressed concerns about the AUKUS security pact between Australia, the UK and the US.
On Albanese’s three-day trip, he was accompanied by a business delegation and several Cabinet ministers, including Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong (黃英賢), who met Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi on Sunday.
Wong has previously called for Canberra to place greater emphasis on Australia’s billion-dollar trade relationship with Jakarta — as well as its trade with Southeast Asia as a whole.
“Deepening engagement with Southeast Asia is a priority for my government,” Albanese said, announcing a new envoy and office for the region.
After meeting Widodo, Albanese is to travel to South Sulawesi’s Makassar, where Australia has a diplomatic presence.
He was also set to meet the ASEAN secretary-general — as Canberra pivots to focus on bolstering its alliances in the region.
His first stop after coming to power was Japan, where he traveled for talks with members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, an alliance created in the face of China’s push for dominance.
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