Why Indonesia joining BRICS shouldn't worry the US and Australia
The Southeast Asian nation has joined BRICS, the China and Russia-led bloc seen as a counterweight to the West. But analysts doubt this will heighten concerns in Canberra or Washington.
When it was announced this week that Australia's northern neighbour had joined BRICS, the international economic bloc spearheaded by Beijing and Moscow, there was a flurry speculation about whether Indonesia is changing direction under its new president.
Is Prabowo Subianto leaning east?
Prabowo took the reins from his wildly popular predecessor, Joko Widodo — known as Jokowi — in October after serving as his defence minister during a decade in power.
The former general now leads a country that has always stressed neutrality amid the growing rivalry between the US and China. So far, he has kept his cards close to his chest, visiting both Washington and Beijing and making a fawning congratulatory phone call to US president-elect Donald Trump.
Despite the speculation, Susannah Patton, director of the Lowy Institute’s Southeast Asia program, doubts the admission to BRICS marks a significant shift the world's fourth most populous nation.
