China shouldn't see Jakarta's friendship as sign of weakness

IN a dramatic gesture intended to refocus China's attention on its relations with Indonesia, President Joko Widodo visited the Natuna Islands recently.

Indeed, he held a limited Cabinet meeting on board the warship KRI Imam Bonjol, which had clashed with Chinese fishing vessels in the area.

He was accompanied by several key officials, including Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Luhut Panjaitan, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, and armed forces chief Gatot Nurmantyo.