Abstract
Indonesia has been a very successful country to handle the pressure of two superpower contests involving China and the United States, mainly due to its ability to maintain the status of strategic partner for both countries. How could Indonesia maintain that same status while also retaining its distinctiveness in international affairs? Using the method of library research, this writing explored the answer in three sectors of economy, military, and participation in global organizations. After collecting the data, there are at least three points that Jokowi administration relied on to pave the way for Indonesia's success, they are: (1) the desire to put diplomacy and identity/distinctiveness as the backbone; (2) the bravery to include some complex elements; and (3) the move to always show Indonesia's stable growth as an essential value of any negotiation process.
TopIntroduction
President Jokowi and Indonesia’s Current Status With Both China and the US
The G20 event held in Indonesia near the end of 2022 was surely a sight to behold. Not only did President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) manage to hold such an event successfully, he also showcased the stance where Indonesia stands in conducting her external relations, mainly with the two superpowers – China and the United States. Within his presidency, Jokowi gained quite an achievement in maintaining good relations with those two countries. As we acknowledge, China and the US contest has been heating up recently with a potential full-scale conflict in the Asia Pacific region still becoming the ceiling of this contest according to some experts (Allison, 2017). For other countries’ leaders, usually they are situated in a position to gain a favor from one side but lose the advantage from another side equally. That exactly was the case of Indonesia’s foreign policy before the beginning of Jokowi administration in 2014.
Briefly, during the Obama administration, there was a high expectation for both countries (Indonesia and the US) to strategically enhance their relations with each other. That expectation, however, was declining when Donald Trump entered the office in 2017. Trump’s popularity declined in the eyes of Indonesians as a result of his insensitivity toward several controversial issues – especially Moslem World, since the majority of Indonesians are devout Moslem (Putra, 2023). On the other hand, the Jakarta-Beijing relationship before 2010s decade has seen to be everything but decreasing. Mainly, Indonesia’s struggle of relationship with China was still difficult to recover due to a negative view of the Indonesian public to communism.
Those disadvantages, then, were flipped on during the Jokowi administration. In 2021, the US’s economic presence in Indonesia is enormous and keeps increasing, with Indonesia’s large population being considered a strategic market for the US globalwide-franchise product (Schwarz, 2015). Meanwhile for China, as President Xi’s put attention on Indonesia’s considerable resources, more corporations involving both countries are finalized to sustain Indonesia–China economic potentials (Caballero-Anthony, 2005). Indonesia is also involved within China’s megaproject of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), along with other Southeast Asian countries. And, although the South China Sea dispute has raised the tensions between Jakarta and Beijing, President Xi convinced that China would still have the potential to be Indonesia's biggest trading partner, amounting to more than 50 billion USD trade activities in 2021.
To highlight his success in maintaining a great relationship of Indonesia to both China and the US, President Jokowi made a memorable speech during the G20 Summit hosted by Indonesia in 2022. Through his speech, the Indonesian president called the US President Joe Biden as “Senior Saya (My Senior)” and China President Xi Jinping as “Kakak Saya (My Big Brother)”.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Superpower Contest: Intense geopolitical competition and strategic rivalry between major global powers in various fields of political, economic, military, and in some cases ideological.
Trade War: Situation where two major countries, or in this writing China and the United States, engage in a series of escalating trade barriers and retaliatory measures against each other.
Minilateralism: One of state’s interaction patterns, in which a small group of states cooperatively collaborates on specific issues or initiatives.
Strategic Culture: A set of shared beliefs, norms, and perceptions that influence a state’s approach in conducting its foreign policies.
Economic Dependence: Condition whereas one country relies significantly on another for economic resources, trade, or investment.
Liberalization: The process of reducing or removing government-imposed restrictions and barriers in economic activities, aiming to promote free-market principles and enhance global economic integration.
Distinctiveness: A set of unique or specific characteristics that sets a particular nation or its identity apart from the others.
Economic Diversification: Economic development strategy which involves broadening the range of industries or other economic sectors within a country’s economy.
Foreign Policy: Set of strategies, actions, and principles adopted by a state in its interactions with other states or international actors to achieve a specific goal related with its national interest.
Strategic Partner: A relationship between two states or other entities involving a high degree of cooperative actions to pursue shared objectives or address common challenges.
Jokowi Administration: Period of governance in Indonesia led by Joko Widodo, popular with its nickname “Jokowi”, who served as the president from 2014 to 2019, and was reelected for a second term from 2019 to 2024.