Indonesia is a rising power right on our doorstep, a youthful nation of 280 million people that, by some estimates, is on track to be the world’s fifth-largest economy by 2030.
It goes to the polls tomorrow to elect a new president, and the vote is worth more attention than it is receiving here in Australia.
Anthony Albanese continued the pattern of new Australian prime ministers choosing Jakarta as their first port of call for a bilateral visit after coming to power. And as the largest economy in Southeast Asia, Indonesia is central to the Labor PM’s strategy to boost economic ties to the region.
But despite best intentions, Australia’s ties with Indonesia seem perennially characterised as underdeveloped, their potential unfulfilled — with both countries spending more time glancing over their respective shoulders toward China, rather than engaging more with each other.
