China, Indonesia hold ministerial talks

Nations agree to boost cooperation, uphold multilateral trading system

China and Indonesia pledged shared efforts to ensure the peace and stability of the South China Sea, expand security cooperation and uphold the multilateral trading system during their first joint meeting of foreign and defense ministers, also known as the "2+2" dialogue, in Beijing on Monday.

The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Defense Minister Dong Jun with Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono and Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin.

The dialogue mechanism between Beijing and Jakarta is the first of its kind that China has established with a foreign country.

The two sides agreed to jointly safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea and set an example in maritime cooperation, Wang told a news conference after the meeting, adding that the coast guard agencies of both countries signed a maritime security cooperation agreement.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and to accelerating consultations on a Code of Conduct.

Wang stressed that as each other's major trading partners, the two countries should remain committed to opposing any kind of unilateralism or trade protectionism.

"We believe that abusing tariffs will seriously undermine the normal trade exchanges between countries, and we pledged to jointly promote regional economic integration, ensure stable and smooth supply and industrial chains and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the Global South," Wang said.

In terms of security cooperation, he said that Beijing and Jakarta agreed to establish a bilateral consultation mechanism on disarmament, nonproliferation and arms control.

They also agreed to enhance law enforcement and security cooperation and jointly combat transnational crimes, such as transnational gambling and online and telecommunication fraud, and strengthen cybersecurity cooperation, Wang noted.

Speaking of defense cooperation, Dong called on the two sides to have more substantive cooperation in areas including strategic communication, exchanges between services, equipment and technology, and maritime security.

Calling the meeting a milestone in bilateral ties, Sugiono said that Indonesia is willing to work with China to further consolidate political mutual trust, enhance exchanges at all levels, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and strengthen communication and coordination under multilateral frameworks such as ASEAN-China cooperation.

Indonesia firmly upholds the one-China policy and opposes any foreign intervention in China's domestic affairs, he added.

Sjamsoeddin said that Indonesia is committed to enhancing strategic trust with China through transparent and equitable defense cooperation.

Indonesia is the largest economy in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, while China has been Indonesia's largest trading partner for 12 consecutive years.

In 2024, bilateral trade exceeded $147.8 billion, marking a year-on-year increase of 6.1 percent, according to Wang Lutong, Chinese ambassador to Indonesia.

Xu Liping, director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Center for Southeast Asian Studies, said that the establishment of the joint foreign and defense ministerial dialogue will help expand China's neighborhood diplomacy.

The mechanism places greater emphasis on deepening China-Indonesia comprehensive strategic partnership and translating it into concrete actions, Xu said.

During President Xi Jinping's Southeast Asian tour last week, China and Malaysia, and China and Cambodia agreed respectively to establish joint foreign and defense dialogue mechanisms, while the strategic dialogue mechanism of diplomacy, national defense and public security was upgraded to the ministerial level with Vietnam.

Such arrangements show that strategic security dialogues and cooperation with neighboring countries have become increasingly institutionalized and mature, Xu said, adding that this brings greater stability and predictability to regional peace and prosperity.