India’s expanding defence partnership with Indonesia marks a shift towards a more strategic relationship, but it is unlikely to unsettle China, according to Gurjit Singh, former Indian Ambassador to Indonesia and ASEAN,
Speaking to StratNews Global’s The Gist, Singh said Indonesia has steadily diversified its defence suppliers over the years and sees India as a natural addition to that mix rather than an anti-China partner.
“So Indonesia has been diversifying its defence base by engaging with other countries. So the Americans were active, Russians were active, now a large amount of their equipment comes from Korea, Turkey and to some extent, from Jordan. India is a good mix over there,” he said.
His remarks come days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jakarta, during which India and Indonesia signed agreements covering the BrahMos missile system, Astra air-to-air missile cooperation, maritime security, critical minerals, digital payments and development of the Sabang port in Aceh.
According to Singh, Jakarta would have factored in Beijing’s concerns before moving ahead with the defence agreements, but its objective is preserving strategic autonomy rather than confronting China.
“The Indonesian defence pillar is cautious about China and therefore to buttress their strategic autonomy, dealing with India is a good counter. This is not necessarily an anti-Chinese counter. It is to buttress this strategic autonomy,” he said.
Despite India and Indonesia upgrading ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2018, Singh believes the relationship has remained largely functional rather than genuinely strategic.
“I have not seen much of strategic value in India-Indonesia partnership except in functional terms. Trade has grown, investment has grown, start-ups are doing a great job in Indonesia and tourism has grown. But to say that our military engagements have grown, I don’t think they have progressed beyond coordinated patrols and joint exercises,” he said.
He argued that new initiatives could change that. India’s interest in developing the Sabang port alongside its Great Nicobar project could create fresh opportunities for cooperation with Indonesia, particularly across Sumatra and the Andaman Sea.
The joint statement issued after the Modi-Prabowo talks also highlighted cooperation in shipbuilding, ship repair, offshore energy support, tourism and connectivity, with both sides aiming to deepen economic and maritime links.
Singh also noted that Indonesia played an early role in shaping the Indo-Pacific concept through discussions at the East Asia Summit around 2012-13, as regional countries responded to China’s increasingly assertive actions in the South China Sea.
In his view, the latest defence agreements provide the momentum needed to finally give the India-Indonesia relationship a stronger strategic dimension.
