Indonesia is The Another India as referred by some people. Both the Indian and Indonesian culture has a lot of similarities. In Indian culture you would have heard the phrases quite often “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam“. Sanskrit phrase found in ancient Hindu texts such as the Maha Upanishad, which means “the world is one family” There is a similar phrase in Indonesia “Dunia adalah satu keluarga“. Both the phrases means the same “The world is one family“.

India and Indonesia have shared more than two millennia of close cultural and commercial contacts. The Hindu rulers of Indonesia dates back to 674 CE with Queen Seema.

The shared culture and independent foreign policy have robust co-operation in the areas of defence and security too. India and Indonesia are neighbors. India shares a border with Indonesia. India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Indonesia along the Andaman Sea. India and Indonesia are among the largest democracies in the world. Both are member states of the G-20, the E7 (countries), the Non-aligned Movement, and the United Nations. BBC World Service Poll, 51% of Indonesians view India’s influence positively.

However the demography of Indonesia over period has totally changed. Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation; almost 87.18% of Indonesians declared themselves Muslim in the 2010 census. 9.87% of the population adhered to Christianity (of which more than 70% were Protestant), 1.69% were Hindu, 0.72% Buddhist, and 0.56 of other faiths. Most Indonesian Hindus are Balinese and most Buddhists in modern-day Indonesia are Tionghoa.

Indonesia Against Chinese Imperialism

Indonesia says China’s ‘nine-dash line’ puts its interests at risk. Indonesia’s letter, dated May 26, says that China’s “nine-dash line” demarcation for the sea lacks a basis in international law, citing the 2016 decision by a Hague tribunal. The text also rebuffed Beijing’s historical claims on the area.

SCS is a key naval passage linking Asia with Africa and Europe. As estimated $3.37 trillion of international trade passes through the SCS and it is believed to be abundant in untapped natural resources such as oil and gas.

China lays claims to 80% of the South China Sea. It is also claimed by Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

Beijing is taking advantage of the Chinese corona virus pandemic to forward its interests in the disputed water body. It has conducted naval exercises to intimidate other claimants to the South China Sea, bullied Vietnamese and Filipinos vessels and even established new administrative districts on disputed islands.

As China is intimidating all its neighbors including India, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan on border issues and their maritime borders.

We covered about the Chinese intrusion in Indian union territory of Ladakh in our previous article: Indian Armed Forces Defend Indian Territory from Chinese PLA Invasion

Indonesia India Partnership scope

Comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries have unifying effect. The Modi government is deepening Act East policy to make progress despite challenges. Both key Asian powers advanced security ties to strengthen their defense relationship from 2018 in areas of radar and sonar production and other broader issues of interest. The commitment of cooperation escalated in Osaka summit 2019 to expand maritime connectivity between Achech and Andaman Nicobar Islands.

Indonesia is partnering with other countries to build its new capital city. China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project has brought debt trap in Indonesia. The Environmental destruction because of BRI project is realized by the Indonesian government. Australian High Commissioner Barry O Farrell referred on trilateral cooperation between India, Indonesia and Australia for successful collaboration in Indian Ocean.

In presentations to the House of Representatives’ defense commission last year, the Defense ministry unveiled plans for a multi-billion-dollar investment in assets including fighter and transport aircraft, tanks, air defense systems and surface combatants to support the last phase of the Indonesian Military’s (TNI) Minimum Essential Forces (MEF) programme.

$50 Billion Trade Target by 2025 between India and Indonesia

India and Indonesia have set $50-billion trade target by 2025. The US$50 billion bilateral trade explores use of outer space and scientific technological cooperation.

According to Indonesia’s Central Statistics Agency (BPS), trade between the two countries in 2016 was USD 12.9 billion. It rose 28.7 per cent to USD 18.13 billion in 2017 with Indonesia’s exports to India reaching USD 14.08 billion and its imports from India standing at USD 4.05 billion.

Exports to Indonesia from India averaged 10.17 INR Billion from 1991 until 2020, reaching an all-time high of 61.54 INR Billion in March of 2019.

Imports from Indonesia in India increased to 101.98 INR Billion in February from 82.36 INR Billion in January of 2020 due to increased imports of Indonesian Palm Oil amid India’s spat with Malaysia over Malaysia’s acting as a stooge of Pakistan and China.

India has halted imports of refined palm oil from Malaysia since early January in retaliation for Malaysia’s accusation that recent Indian policies discriminate against Muslims. India by this action clearly sent a signal that India will not tolerate any other country interfering in its internal affairs. Those Islamic countries that talk of discrimination against Muslims, need to answer where is all the Hindu, Christian, Buddhist Population disappeared in their countries. Hence India does not tolerate any external interference from any country and takes any such interference seriously and business is possible only if countries respect each others sovereignty and don’t interfere in internal affairs.

Exports to Indonesia in India increased to 54.73 INR Billion in February from 24.18 INR Billion in January of 2020.

Trade with China drops due to China spreading Chinese Virus in the whole world and intimidating all its neighbors. India is the biggest buyer of edible oil and boosted purchase of Indonesian palm oil whereas sugar and auto parts are imported by Indonesia. India -Indonesian trade was $21.2 billion in the last fiscal year that ended in March. By 2025 the bilateral trade will be doubled to $50 billion. India’s offer of a South Asian response, aid and technical assistance has helped strengthen the bonds with South East Asian (SEA) nations.

India is boosting its indigenous defense manufacturing. There is big scope in future for Indian Exports of defense production to Indonesia. Both countries can also have joint ventures on some of the defense research projects. Restricting the trade only to refined edible oil and meat products, both countries are restricting themselves to a limited trade. However if both countries sign defense deals, the scope of trade can cross the estimated figures.

Indonesia has higher dependence on China for its supply lines. The bigger the trade between India and Indonesia, more trade deficits are piling up for India. For Indonesia to reduce its dependence on Chinese supply lines, Indonesia needs to increase its imports from India and narrow down the trade deficit.

Chinese Corona Virus spread in Indonesia

Cases of Chinese Corona virus came to light when a Chinese tourist who had traveled from Wuhan — the central Chinese city where the pandemic started late last year — to the Indonesian resort island of Bali tested positive for the Chinese Corona Virus when he returned to China in early February.

There have been 1801 deaths in Indonesia as per official figures as of today due to Chinese Corona Virus and the

India and Indonesia are two of the world’s major producers of antimalarials chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine and not withstanding the stand of WHO or other nations are sticking with HCQ

Indian Navy’s Information fusion centre has emerged as a regional hub in Indian Ocean region enhancing gamut of Indo-pacific power balance in due course as multilateral system. Indonesia’s critical role in political and economic convergence is vital support for India ‘s Act East Policy to elevate strategic defence partnership. The first bilateral naval exercise named “Samudra Shakti” between the Indian and the Indonesian Navies gave momentum to bilateral strategic partnership. Indonesian Army TNIAD engineers tested its M3 amphibious rig with patriot 4x4ATV. Now Indian Navy can easily access Australian Navy bases to contain CCP belligerence using Indian ports.

Public Sentiments in Indonesia against China

Public sentiment in Indonesia towards China is rising and it has only worsened especially after remains of Indonesian nationals were cast off from Chinese vessels into the ocean. The workers had apparently died from overwork.

People in Indonesia as well as India are running a public awareness campaign to boycott Chinese products.

China’s predatory loans and destroying all local markets by flooding cheap and inferior quality products in Indonesian markets has also given rise to a lot of anger, laying the groundwork for today’s reaction against China. In 2016, there were accusations of imported Chinese chilies purposefully infected with bacteria. A year later, there were accusations that there was influx of thousands of mainland Chinese workers taking local jobs in Indonesia. In the riots that followed the May 2019 presidential election result announcements, there were claims that Chinese police had shot rioters while working undercover as Indonesian police. A Chinese media conference was even held to dispute this theory, with four young pale-skinned policemen paraded in front of the cameras and made to introduce themselves to prove that they were Indonesian. This also increased the anger among Indonesian people.

large plastic banners warning residents of “the latent danger of communism” appeared on main thoroughfares, while digital groups such as the Muslim Cyber Army frequently encourage their supporters to defend their religion from secularism, communism, and Christianity, using hashtags like #WaspadaKomunis (“be aware of communists”), #GebukPKI (“beat up the Indonesian Communist Party”), and #MuslimBersatu (“Muslims unite”).

In June 2019, Eight citizens of China were among nine people arrested in Indonesia on suspicion of involvement in a human trafficking ring that lured Indonesian women into marriages with Chinese men. The Indonesian Migrant Labor Alliance (SBMI) reported that human trafficking networks had transported 29 women from West Java and West Kalimantan provinces to China for marriage during the past two years. Some were allegedly exploited sexually. As per the police spokesperson, the traffickers had promised their victims 20 million rupiah ($1,416) each in exchange for agreeing to go to China and marry local men.

The Embassy of Indonesia in Beijing has repatriated some 40 Indonesian women trafficked to several regions in China in 2019 who had fallen victim to the criminal act of human trafficking,

Points to Ponder

Will Indonesia control its religious rhetoric and work with India as a Partner in South East Asia? Will Indonesia be able to subside the radical Religious sentiments in its country that are instigated by other nations like Pakistan and China? Will Indonesia import the defense equipment including Missiles and other military hardware manufactured in India? Will both countries have joint ventures in defense research?

Since the demography has changed with 87.18% Muslims, do the Indonesians still believe in the Ancient Hindu phrases like “Dunia adalah satu keluarga“? Will the future relations between India and Indonesia depend on pure economic relations and bonded together by intimidation by China? Or will the relations between two countries revive the ancient cultural links?

Both nations are closely and intensively working for the issues of common interest and peacekeeping in Indo-Pacific region and beyond. It’s time for Southeast Asia to stand together against China with Indonesia leading.

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