Prabowo Subianto is kicking off his first foreign tour as Indonesia’s president with a visit to top trading partner China, underscoring Beijing’s importance to south-east Asia’s largest economy.
Prabowo, who took office three weeks ago, will visit Beijing from Friday to Sunday and hold talks with China’s President Xi Jinping at the start of a five-country trip that will also include the US and UK.
Prabowo has yet to set out his diplomatic priorities or strategy, but has made clear he wants Indonesia to play a more active role in international affairs. China was also his first overseas stop after he won Indonesia’s presidential election in February.