The visit of French Minister of European Affairs and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian to Jakarta on Wednesday (11/24/2021), showed the importance of Indonesia's position in France’s Indo-Pacific strategy.
By
Kompas Team
·5 minutes read
BIRO PERS SEKRETARIAT PRESIDEN/RUSMAN
President Joko Widodo receives an honorary visit from the French Minister of European and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Wednesday (24/11/2021).
Indonesia is at the heart of France's strategy to get more involved in the Indo-Pacific. Jakarta has taken advantage of this to optimize diplomacy in Europe.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Two months after the collapse of a strategic defense agreement with Australia and the emergence of the AUKUS alliance, France has strengthened its involvement in the Indo-Pacific region. The visit of French Minister of European Affairs and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian to Jakarta on Wednesday (11/24/2021), showed the importance of Indonesia's position in France’s Indo-Pacific strategy.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, in his first visit to Southeast Asia since the Covid-19 pandemic, Le Drian was in Jakarta and was hosted by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo at Merdeka Palace. He also separately held bilateral meetings with Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi and met Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto and Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.
Indonesia will be the chair of the G20 and France will be the president of the European Union.
Next year, both Indonesia and France will hold strategic positions, Indonesia as the chair of the Group of 20 nations and France as the chair of the European Council. "I agree that we will improve communication next year. Indonesia will be the chair of the G20 and France will be the president of the European Union," President Jokowi told Le Drian.
The increase in Indo-Pacific cooperation between the two countries was mentioned in a meeting between President Jokowi and French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rome at the end of October. "Indonesia is the main actor, more than just a partner," Macron tweeted at the time in the Indonesian language regarding cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
KEMENTERIAN LUAR NEGERI RI
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi (right) and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian signed an Action Plan to strengthen Indonesia-France relations, Wednesday (23/11/2021), in Jakarta.
The increased involvement of France in the Indo-Pacific, with Indonesia at the heart of France's strategy, came two months after the alliance of Australia, Britain and the United States (AUKUS) was formed. On 15 Sept., the alliance was judged by France as a “stab in the back”.
With the alliance, Australia canceled a contract to order French-manufactured diesel submarines and chose nuclear submarines from the US and UK instead. Indonesia criticized AUKUS for fear it could trigger an arms race in the region.
Action plan
The Indonesia-France partnership during Le Drian's visit began with the signing of an action plan (PoA) to strengthen the Indonesia-France partnership. The action plan focuses on the health, defense, economic and maritime sectors. "In 2022 there will be a maritime dialogue. This is the first step in implementing the PoA," Retno told reporters.
France will also invest 500 million euros (US$560 million) in the energy transition program in Indonesia. The investment is a form of Paris' support for Jakarta's efforts to switch to renewable energy. The investment is also a tangible form of collaboration to accelerate the energy transition.
"This issue will be one of Indonesia's focuses during the G20 chairmanship," said Retno.
Indonesian request
Another issue discussed by the two foreign ministers was trade. To Le Drian, Retno emphasized the importance of fair, open and nondiscriminatory trade. This was reiterated by President Jokowi when he received Le Drian.
The President expected France to be Indonesia's partner in fighting for an open, fair and nondiscriminatory trade. “I strongly support sustainable trade. However, I object if environmental issues are misused to create trade barriers," said the President.
Although not mentioned in detail at the meeting, Indonesia is currently in a dispute over palm oil with the European Union. In the eyes of Europe, palm oil is unfriendly to the environment. The case has been included in the dispute resolution agenda at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
KEMENTERIAN LUAR NEGERI RI
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi (right) accompanies French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian signing the guest book, Wednesday (11/23/2021), in Jakarta.
The President also said he hoped that during France's presidency of the European Union next year, negotiations on a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) between Indonesia and the European Union (EU) would be accelerated and would get concrete results.
After 11 rounds of negotiations since the administration of president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, there is no sign that the Indonesia-EU CEPA negotiations will end. Several EU officials have come to Indonesia to discuss the issue.
Managing rivalries
Another thing that was discussed during Le Drian's visit was Indo-Pacific cooperation. In a meeting with Retno, Le Drian said Paris was very supportive and had an interest in an Indo-Pacific that was open, free and that respected international law.
Over the years, France has contributed to peace and stability in the region by consistently deploying troops.
As a country that had territory in the Indo-Pacific, said Le Drian, France wanted these principles to be respected and implemented. Over the years, France has contributed to peace and stability in the region by consistently deploying troops.
Meanwhile, during a lecture at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Le Drian said that as two countries that had important roles in the Indo-Pacific region, France and Indonesia had agreed to manage rivalries and spur comprehensive cooperation to create a safe Indo-Pacific region for all.
Le Drian explained that from the French perspective, the Indo-Pacific had a very strategic significance. The Indo-Pacific region was close to 95 percent of the French exclusive economic zone, and 60 percent of the global economy and the concentration of world gross domestic product (GDP) was represented by this region. In addition, he said, four of France's 10 main trading partners were in the region.
KEMENTERIAN LUAR NEGERI RI
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi (left) and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian (left) discuss strengthening Indonesia-France relations, Wednesday (23/11/2021), in Jakarta.
With these indicators, Le Drian said the Indo-Pacific was central to the strategic and geopolitical balance of the world's future. "In short, everything that is happening in the Indo-Pacific region now has consequences and impacts on global interests that Europeans cannot ignore," said Le Drian.
Nanto Sriyanto, an international relations observer at the BRIN Political Research Center, said the increased attention paid to the economic sector, particularly trade, during the meetings showed the similarity of views of the two countries.
“What France has said about the economy and trade should be welcomed. Multilateralism must be underlined as very important at this time,” he said. (RAZ/CAS/MHD)
