Latest news with #SjafrieSjamsoeddin
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Indonesia considers buying Chinese J-10 jets that played leading role in Kashmir clashes
Indonesia is considering buying Chinese-made J-10 fighters , the model that downed a French-built Rafale warplane during the recent conflict between India and Pakistan. Antara, Indonesia's national news agency, reported on Wednesday that the country's deputy minister of defence, Donny Ermawan Taufanto, had said that China had offered to sell the jets during a recent visit to an arms fair in China by Mohamad Tonny Harjono, the country's air chief marshal. 'When we evaluated it, the plane was good, it met our criteria and it's affordable, so why not?,' Donny said. He added that Indonesia could buy defence equipment from any country, but stressed the government needed to take other criteria into consideration as well, including how to integrate new planes with the air force's existing equipment. 'In terms of its capabilities, how far it can fly, the types of weapons it could carry, we will have to see later,' he said. Earlier this year, China and Indonesia pledged to boost military cooperation following a visit to Beijing by Indonesia's Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, where he met General Zhang Youxia, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission. The two countries also staged a joint drill in November last year.
France 24
2 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Australia says China anxiety, geography driving closer Indonesia ties
His visit to meet counterpart Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin in Jakarta came weeks after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made Indonesia his first foreign trip following his landslide election win. Marles said the alliance with Indonesia stood on its own terms, but concerns about China's military build-up in the region influenced Australia's foreign policy thinking. "We've made no secret of the fact that we have a security anxiety in relation to China. We've made that clear to China itself," Marles, who also serves as deputy prime minister, told journalists in the Indonesian capital. "It does shape how we think about the strategic landscape that we face." He said geography was also a key part of closer relations with President Prabowo Subianto's government, with whom they signed a defence pact last year. "You just need to look at the map to understand how strategically important Indonesia is to Australia. Its geography is profoundly important," he said. "That's actually what's driving the increase in the activity between Australia and Indonesia." Marles and Sjafrie discussed greater cooperation "in relation to maritime domain awareness", which would see their militaries share more information about the waters they share, the Australian minister said. "The relationship between Australia and Indonesia has never been in better shape," he said. The bilateral defence pact pledged closer cooperation in the contested Asia-Pacific region and included provisions for each military operating in the other country. Months after the accord was signed, thousands of Indonesian and Australian troops held joint drills in eastern Java in November. Canberra has drawn ever nearer to longtime ally Washington, bolstering its military in an attempt to deter the might of a rising China.
Nikkei Asia
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Nikkei Asia
Indonesia and France set up defense agreement for fighter jets, submarines
JAKARTA -- Indonesia and France have signed a letter of intent to enhance defense cooperation, particularly in the development of strategic weaponry, including the procurement of Rafale fighter jets and Scorpene submarines. "We will sign the letter of intent with the French ministers to advance defense collaboration between Indonesia and France, with a focus on strategic arms," Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said ahead of a meeting between President Prabowo Subianto and President Emmanuel Macron in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Bloomberg
28-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Indonesia, France Set to Sign Defense Letter During Macron Visit
Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto and France's President Emmanuel Macron are poised to sign a letter of intent to strengthen a defense partnership that has already led to the Southeast Asian nation purchasing billions of dollars' worth of French weaponry. The pact will be signed during bilateral talks Wednesday in Jakarta, Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin told reporters. The cooperation will focus on items such as 'strategic defense equipment,' he said.
Epoch Times
15-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
Facing Russia and China, Australia Invests Millions to Strengthen Ties With Indonesia
Australia is to spend $15 million over four years to 'enhance maritime cooperation' with Indonesia, including an annual official-level dialogue on maritime issues. What that means is both nations will be working more closely together to maintain stability in the Indo-Pacific in the face of increased aggression from the CCP and reported interest from Russia to base military aircraft in Indonesia's easternmost province. Although Indonesian officials denied an approach to base the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) aircraft at Manuhua Air Force Base, the report did originate from respected military journal Janes, which stood by its story, saying it had seen the documents sent to the office of Minister of Defence Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin. Sjamsoeddin had met with the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu in February 2025. When Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese landed in Indonesia on his first overseas visit since being appointed for his second term only days earlier, cementing the relationship established under the Australia–Indonesia Defence Cooperation Agreement, signed last year, would have been at the top of his agenda. Russia's Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu (R), who served as Russia's Defence Minister between 2012 and 2024, passes his gift to Indonesia's Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin after their bilateral meeting at the Defence Ministry in Jakarta, Indonesia on Feb. 25, 2025. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images He appears to have made progress, with the Indonesian military set to begin training in the Northern Territory later this year. Related Stories 4/21/2025 11/15/2024 Indonesia is already the fourth-largest nation in the world by population. And it's projected to be the fifth-largest economy in the world by the end of the next decade. Maintaining favour with a country 10 times the size of Australia in terms of population does come at a cost. Australia is to spend $100 million on strengthening Indonesia's health system, $3.5 million on anti-malaria drugs for the Indonesian military, and $50 million on the Fund for Green Infrastructure to 'incentivise investment in green infrastructure and clean energy projects in Indonesia.' In addition, Albanese agreed to support the bid by Indonesia's sovereign wealth fund, called Danantara, to join the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds and invited it to conduct a roadshow in Australia. Ten scholarships would also be offered for Indonesian students to study for a Master's of Education in Australia, and the number of participating scholars and institutions under Australia's Indonesian Language Learning Ambassadors program will be doubled. Australia will also continue to support Indonesia's application to join the OECD and the CPTPP (the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership). 'Australia and Indonesia are indispensable partners,' Albanese said after his bilateral meeting with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. 'We're working together as neighbours and as partners committed to a secure, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto (C) speaks with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (R) after his arrival at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia on May 15, 2025. Bay Ismoyo/AFP via Getty Images 'Our two great nations continue to invest in each other through our strong trade relationship, creating economic opportunity and deepening the bonds between us.' The Defence Cooperation Agreement represented 'the most significant step in the Australia and Indonesia security partnership for three decades,' he said, adding, 'I do not see this agreement as the last step. I want us to aim higher, go further and work even more closely together.' Asked at a doorstop in Jakarta earlier in the day about the Russian request to base long-range bombers in West Papua, Albanese appeared to confirm that Australia believed the story, saying, 'Indonesia's answer is no. They have made that very clear.' However, he wouldn't be drawn on whether Prabowo had told him exactly what Russia had asked for, saying it was not for him to comment on 'what occurs between nations that are not Australia.' The prime minister said Australia would continue building its defence and security arrangements with countries like Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and other countries in the region. 'Now, Russia, of course, will try to increase its influence,' he said. 'We make very clear our position when it comes to Russia around the world, be it the brutal invasion of Ukraine, its interference in cybersecurity issues, its tolerance of criminal organisations that ... are an anathema to our values.' In their joint communique, both leaders reiterated that Australia and Indonesia support 'an ASEAN-centred, open, inclusive, transparent, resilient, and rules-based regional architecture that upholds international law.' They called on the military and security forces in Burma (also called Myanmar) to immediately stop targeting civilians and to cease all violence so that humanitarian assistance can reach people affected by the recent earthquake. And they reaffirmed both countries' support for a two-state solution to the Hamas-Israel conflict, calling for the immediate resumption of a ceasefire and the release of all remaining hostages, and for an end to the war in Ukraine that would uphold 'territorial integrity.'
