What's at stake for Albanese at this week's ASEAN summit
The Prime Minister is doubling down on Australia's relationship with Indonesia - a relationship that has historically been complicated.
When Australia’s decision to develop nuclear submarines under the AUKUS pact was announced, Indonesian President Joko Widodo felt like he had been kept in the dark. The man known as Jokowi “repeatedly and forcefully” raised concerns with then-prime minister Scott Morrison in the days following the announcement in September, 2021.
Leading a country with a long and deeply embedded history of foreign policy non-alignment, Jokowi was no doubt concerned the agreement would further stoke an arms race in the region and undermine nuclear non-proliferation agreements. But he was also frustrated that he wasn't consulted.
Two years later, a lot has changed — but the relationship is as complicated as ever.
While Morrison's successor, Anthony Albanese, has continued with the AUKUS agreement, he has placed a huge emphasis on his relationship with Jokowi, who he rode bamboo bicycles with in West Java a few weeks after being elected.
