Indonesia manages to unite the US, China and Russia in a joint naval exercise
U.S., Chinese and Russian navy ships will join exercises in Indonesian waters on Monday to try to respond to humanitarian disasters, in a rare moment of cooperation amid diplomatic grievances and heightened defense competition in the Asia-Pacific .
Indonesia, which deftly handled last year's G20 meeting in Bali in the shadow of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, is hosting naval Komodo exercises in the Makassar Strait until Thursday. all this a few days after the defense summit called "Shangri-La Dialogue" held in Singapore in recent days.
The exercise, which takes place in the waters between Borneo and Sulawesi, brings together 49 countries, including sworn geopolitical rivals, such as North and South Korea, India and Pakistan, while experts say Indonesia, president of ASEAN, he quietly plays the role of neutral broker in a region marked by competing claims over seas and territories.
"These interactions tend to focus more on engagement, but the geopolitical realities are there for all to see," said Prashanth Parameswaran, a researcher at the US think tank Wilson Center.
"Indonesia has been at the center of the management of these tensions in the last two years, with its presidency of the G20 last year and of ASEAN this year".
A declaredly neutral country and committed to a "free and active" foreign policy, Indonesia seems intent on exercising a more incisive international role, worthy of its position as the largest economy in South-East Asia and its status as the fourth largest nation populous in the world.
President Joko Widodo is expected to open the event after a series of high-profile international appearances, after Indonesia chaired the G20 and ASEAN and participated in the G7.
The cast of countries is "in line with Indonesia's international status and standing, as one of the motives of the country's defense diplomacy is to enhance its international image and reputation," said Frega Wenas, a lecturer at the National Defense University of Indonesia.
"With the participation of major powers such as the United States, China and many other countries, the exercise will offer an opportunity for dialogue, as the heads of the Navy will meet in parallel with operational activities at sea".
Komodo exercises will include sea rescues and responses to humanitarian emergencies such as natural disasters. However, diplomatic activities – a duty of the Indonesian navy – seem just as significant.
Naval maneuvers are complemented by more mundane events, including a town parade, culinary program and maritime exhibit.
Asked by This Week in Asia whether tensions with Russia and China could cause friction during the Komodo exercise, a US Navy spokesman replied: "We respect the Indonesian government's ability to select participants as the host nation." .
"The United States will continue to work with its partners, such as Indonesia, to ensure that the region remains open and accessible and that the seas and skies of the region are governed and used in accordance with international law."
Representatives of the Russian embassy in Jakarta declined to comment.
Chinese nationalist tabloid Global Times said the country's participation in the exercise is intended to increase "understanding, exchanges and communication with foreign militaries to safeguard peace and stability amid rising tensions in Asia -Pacific".
Indonesia has recently proposed a peace plan for Ukraine, thus confirming its willingness to act as
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The article Indonesia succeeds in uniting the US, China and Russia in a joint naval exercise comes from Scenari Economics .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/lindonesia-riesce-a-unire-usa-cina-e-russia-in-unesercitazione-navale-congiunta/ on Mon, 05 Jun 2023 09:51:23 +0000.