“Our security concern today is the rivalry between the US and China, which may have ramifications to our national interest also to other countries in the Pacific region,” said Alman Helmas Ali, Jakarta-based defence consultant.
In an exclusive conversation on The Gist, Ali pointed out that Indonesia doesn’t recognize the nine-dash-line claim in the South China Sea by Beijing because it is against the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“We regularly face Chinese coast guard vessels in our EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) and also sometimes in our territorial, waters. It is a big concern for Indonesia.”
Ali said there was an incident when a Chinese coast guard vessel recently transited Indonesian waters with its automatic identification system turned off. There was also the issue of China’s intimidating and aggressive behaviour with other neighbours like the Philippines.
Describing China as the “potential enemy in the future”, Ali acknowledged a debate in his country about buying Chinese military hardware. This may be more about affordability given that China will not only offer lower prices but back it up with soft loans.
President Prabowo Subianto, since coming to office in October, has reached out to all major countries including China, the US, France and India. He said his country had already bought one battery of the Indian Brahmos missile system for coastal defence at a cost of around $100 million.
“But I don’t think it is enough. We need more batteries. So, strengthening defense cooperation with India is a must, not just in terms of training exercise but also defence industry because we can we can learn much from India’s experience,” he said.
In his view, it would help if the Indian government could provide export credit to Indian companies that want to sell their equipment in Indonesia. He pointed out that Indonesia’s defence budget has been growing and today amounts to around $34.7 billion. There are opportunities here that India can tap.
Thirty eight years in journalism, widely travelled, history buff with a preference for Old Monk Rum. Current interest/focus spans China, Technology and Trade. Recent reads: Steven Colls Directorate S and Alexander Frater's Chasing the Monsoon. Netflix/Prime video junkie. Loves animal videos on Facebook. Reluctant tweeter.
