Indonesia is one of the founding members of ASEAN and long served as its de facto leader, playing a crucial role in mediating regional crises. Analysts warned that its leadership in the group on the South China Sea issue would wane if it stopped championing international legal norms.

As President Prabowo Subianto steers closer to China, Paul Keating said: "No country is more important to Australia than Indonesia."

Indonesia, southeast Asia's largest economy, has long maintained a neutral foreign policy. But President Prabowo Subianto appears keen to deepen defense and security ties with Russia.

Prabowo’s push for Indonesia to join BRICS raises questions about whether this move is motivated more by personal ambitions rather than clear strategic considerations.

In January Mr Prabowo launched a cost-cutting drive unlike any the country has seen. He is seeking approximately $19bn in savings from this year’s budget, which comes to about 8.5% of Indonesia’s public-sector spending. A proposed second series of cuts, about which he has offered no other details, could lift the savings to $37bn.

The Philippines, a neighbour of China, purchased the BrahMos missile system from India in 2024, which it has deployed in the South China ... Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto visited Delhi ...