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Orange Wang

Chinese and Indonesian foreign and defence ministers will meet on Monday for the first “2+2” dialogue of its kind in Beijing.
The Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday that top diplomat Wang Yi and Defence Minister Dong Jun would host the meeting with their Indonesian counterparts Sugiono and Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin.
“That is the first ministerial‑level ‘2+2’ mechanism that China has set up, showing the strategic nature and high level of China‑Indonesia cooperation,” ministry spokesman Lin Jian said.
Lin said the discussions would cover political security and defence ties between Beijing and Jakarta, as well as international and regional issues.


The talks reflect China’s renewed efforts to strengthen engagement with Southeast Asia as a bulwark against worsening ties with the United States.
The region is increasingly being seen as a geopolitical chessboard for the China-US rivalry and China appears to be broadening its long-standing foreign policy focus on relations with big powers, particularly Washington, by fostering stronger ties with neighbouring countries.
To that end, Chinese President Xi Jinping embarked on a charm offensive in Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia this week, his first overseas trip of the year.
During the trip, Beijing and Kuala Lumpur also agreed to establish a “2+2” foreign and defence dialogue mechanism to “further expand channels for high-level strategic communication and platforms for political security cooperation”.
Beijing and Hanoi also agreed to elevate their bilateral “3+3” dialogue to the ministerial level for talks that will encompass not only diplomacy and defence but also public security.
The “2+2” meeting between China and Indonesia next week is the latest iteration of this kind of engagement, which China deployed at the vice-ministerial level with South Korea last year.
The framework typically brings together senior foreign and defence officials and has become more common over the past decade as geopolitics has become more complex.
The US has built ministerial-level “2+2” mechanisms with Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia and India in the Indo-Pacific.
There are also such bilateral platforms between Tokyo with Canberra, Manila and New Delhi.
The Biden administration also sought to upgrade America’s strategic and defence dialogue arrangement with Thailand to the ministerial level and established an economic version of the “2+2” meeting with Japan.
However, since US President Donald Trump took office in January, Washington has not moved forward with new talks under those established mechanisms.
While there are some suggestions that the Trump administration is alienating traditional allies, there are no indications that the US’ “2+2” mechanisms have been cancelled.


Meanwhile, China and Indonesia agreed in November to hold their first ministerial-level 2+2 dialogue – one of various commitments reached during Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s trip to the Chinese capital.
On Friday, Lin characterised China and Indonesia as “good neighbours across the sea” with a shared future.
“China stands ready to work with Indonesia to … advance the friendly mutual trust and strategic coordination between the two countries to ever higher levels,” he added.
Indonesia has become a “key front” in the US-China rivalry to shape critical digital infrastructure and ecosystems, according to a recent report from the Washington-based think tank the Centre for a New American Security.
Despite Jakarta’s close trade ties with Beijing, the report said that Washington had a “rare” opportunity to become a key partner for Jakarta in hi-tech areas.
Indonesia’s engagement with the US was apparent this week when Sugiono had a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Wednesday.
“They discussed ways to deepen defence and security cooperation, including efforts to uphold freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea in accordance with international law,” the US said.


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Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono will be in Beijing on Monday for 2+2 talks with his Chinese counterpart. Photo: AFP

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (C) accompanied by Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (R) while walking towards an aircraft for departure at the Bunga Raya Complex in Sepang, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on April 17. Xi departed to Cambodia after three day state visit to Malaysia.  Photo: EPA-EFE

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Chinese President Xi Jinping inspects a guard of honour during a welcome ceremony at the national palace in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

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China

Diplomacy

The ‘2+2’ discussions are a ministerial first for Beijing and part of a bigger regional strategy


The ‘2+2’ discussions are a ministerial first for Beijing and part of a bigger regional strategy.
