Indonesia plans to start building US$80-billion giant sea wall
[JAKARTA] Indonesia will begin the construction of a giant sea wall that will stretch hundreds of kilometres along the nation's main Java island to prevent flooding and coastal erosion, President Prabowo Subianto said.
The sea wall is estimated to cost US$80 billion and take about 20 years to build, Prabowo said in a speech to investors at the International Conference on Infrastructure in Jakarta on Thursday (Jun 12). It will span at least 500 kilometres from the island's westernmost city of Banten to the Gresik regency in East Java.
'I do not know which president will complete it, but I will be the one who starts it,' said Prabowo.
Flood control is one of the nation's strategic priorities, along with providing livable and resilient cities, with more than 70% of Indonesians expected to live in urban areas by 2045, Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono said in the same conference.
Java, the nation's economic and political centre, is home to 158 million people, more than half of Indonesia's 284 million population.
While the sea wall is intended to protect cities from floods and land subsidence, some experts have flagged concerns about the potential economic harm for fishermen and local communities who rely on the sea, as well as the disruption to the marine ecosystem.
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The scale and the cost also raise questions about how Indonesia can execute the mega-project, especially as Prabowo intends to pursue other costly initiatives during his presidency. The government is currently rolling out a multi-billion dollar programme to provide free meals to students. It also wants to build three million affordable homes yearly, while renovating schools across the country.
Prabowo said he would soon establish an authority to oversee the giant sea wall project, which has been part of the Indonesia's national blueprint since 1995 yet has never been carried out. Plans for a smaller sea wall along the coast of Jakarta have also been discussed for over a decade, with the capital being one of the fastest-sinking cities in the world.
The Jakarta segment alone of the sea wall would take about eight years to complete, the president said, adding that this would be funded jointly by the central and local governments. A senior minister revived the plan to build the Jakarta sea wall last year, at an estimated cost of US$10.5 billion.
To extend the sea wall along Java, 'we are open to investment from companies in China, Japan, Korea, the Middle East,' Prabowo said. 'Those who want to join are welcome, but we will not wait. We will use our own strength.' BLOOMBERG
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'There are many factors behind a dogfight victory: Technologies, battle strategies, pilot's abilities. So it is not just about what jet was used,' Khairul said. 'Indonesia never buys military equipment impulsively.' Experts say how well and how soon Indonesian pilots and ground crew familiarise themselves with Chinese-made military equipment could be a deal-breaker. 'France and the United States are NATO countries. Their military equipment follows NATO standards and more importantly, they are inter-operable,' Beni said. Inter-operability refers to how well equipment manufactured by different countries or companies communicate and work with each other, a crucial feature in areas such as healthcare, public safety and defence. 'Inter-operability also means that a pilot or a technician who is familiar with American jets will not have a hard time familiarising himself with one made by France or the United Kingdom,' Beni continued. 'Buying the J-10 means we will have to send pilots and technicians for training, spare parts will have to come from China and the J-10 might not work well with our radar or communication system which were made by NATO countries.' Security is another thing to consider, particularly as some countries are suspicious of Chinese technologies, believing that they might be designed to allow Beijing to launch cyberattacks or gather intelligence. '(Indonesia) may have close economic ties with China but we don't yet have a strong military relationship with China,' Teuku Rezasyah, an international relations expert from Padjadjaran University, told CNA. 'How well can we trust that China will not use this advanced technology to spy on us?' the expert asked. 'Can we trust the J-10 if we have to send one to the Natunas for example?' Teuku was referring to a chain of islands in Indonesia's Riau Islands province which borders the South China Sea. Beijing is laying claim to most of the South China Sea, prompting disputes and clashes with several Southeast Asian countries. Although Indonesia is not a claimant party in the dispute, China's 'nine-dash line' cuts into Indonesia's exclusive economic zones. REGIONAL STABILITY AT RISK For more than a decade, Indonesia has been championing ASEAN to formulate a code of conduct in the South China Sea. However, apparent divergence between countries with close military ties to China, such as Cambodia and Laos, and those without, such as Vietnam and the Philippines, has made reaching a consensus nearly impossible. 'Indonesia establishing close military ties with China would put into question Indonesia's neutrality and credibility in the South China Sea issue or other disputes involving China,' Teuku said. The international expert also cautioned the possibility of an arms race in the region. 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Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia have had their request to buy the F-35 rejected on several occasions. Purchasing the J-10, experts say, might one day open the possibility for China to sell its fifth-generation fighters to Indonesia. China currently has two fifth-generation fighter jets: the Chengdu J-20 and the Shenyang J-35. SWEETENING THE DEAL With its comparatively cheap price, the J-10 should in theory be a hit to countries seeking affordable alternatives to Western or Russian jets. But despite being around since 2003, the J-10 is only operated in two countries: China and Pakistan, with the latter receiving their first batch in 2022. Experts say other countries may have their own security and diplomatic concerns. Even after the J-10s reported success in the Pakistan-India standoff, only a handful of countries like Egypt and Colombia are expressing interest in purchasing the Chinese jets. Indonesia – the world's fourth-most populous nation with strong diplomatic clout among developing countries across the globe – buying the J-10 could change all that, say experts. 'Just like China's profile in the transportation industry was lifted by the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail project, Indonesia purchasing the Chinese J-10 would immediately boost China's profile as a global defence manufacturer,' Teuku, the international relations expert said. In 2023, Indonesia launched Southeast Asia's first high-speed railway, Whoosh, a joint venture between Indonesian and Chinese firms which was financed mainly by loans from the China Development Bank. Following Whoosh's success, several countries including Vietnam and Pakistan have announced interest in adopting Chinese technologies for their high-speed rail ambitions. To woo Indonesia, experts said China could sweeten the deal by agreeing to buy more Indonesian goods, an enticing proposition amid the threat of a tariff war initiated by US President Donald Trump. China might also offer joint manufacturing or assembly of the J-10, as it did with Pakistan, or promise more investment in other sectors. 'Prabowo realises that Indonesia needs Chinese investment which may ultimately compel him to go ahead with the purchase,' defence expert Beni said. The expert highlighted that during his campaign run last year, Prabowo promised to create 19 million jobs and grow the country's economy by eight per cent annually during his first term. Chinese investments were also instrumental in Indonesia's ambition to become a key player in the electric vehicle battery industry. In 2024, Chinese investment in Indonesia reached US$8.1 billion. China injected another US$1.8 billion into the country in the first quarter of 2025. Experts said the final decision will depend on what China has to offer and how much Jakarta is willing to risk in return. 'Indonesia may ultimately buy a limited number of J-10s as a symbolic gesture of goodwill or it may politely decline and go with existing procurement paths,' Khairul of ISESS said. 'Only time will tell.'
