Indonesian president Prabowo bolsters ties with Biden, sets sights on global summit tour

ISTANBUL

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto met with US President Joe Biden at the White House on Tuesday as the two nations celebrated 75 years of diplomatic ties, now elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

This marked Prabowo’s first visit to the US since his inauguration on Oct. 20. He also congratulated US President-elect Donald Trump on his recent election victory, with a potential meeting pending before Prabowo heads to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) summit in Peru.

Prabowo and Biden “committed to continue advancing our vision for an open, transparent, inclusive, and rules-based Indo-Pacific regional architecture, with ASEAN at the center, that upholds international law,” read a joint statement after the meeting.

They underlined a shared commitment to promote peace and stability in Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific region.

In recent years with sharp focus on countering China, the US and its allies have referred to Asia-Pacific region to Indo-Pacific.

Prabowo's trip to the US is part of a multi-nation tour, which began in Beijing, where he signed deals worth $10 billion. After Peru, he will head to Brazil for a G20 summit.

Biden said the US was “ready to assist the Indonesian government as it strives to improve food security through sustainable agriculture.”

To advance these efforts, Biden and Prabowo highlighted their “commitment to promote research collaboration at the nexus of artificial intelligence (AI) and sustainable farming practices.”

Biden also expressed his support for Indonesia’s efforts towards an expedited accession bid to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

The two leaders pledged to cooperate on strengthening maritime security capabilities and to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, as well as fishing associated with transnational organized crime.