Modi in Jakarta: Will the common concerns in the South China sea be ironed out
Prime Minister Narendra Modi began a five-day visit on Tuesday to Indonesia and Singapore, two of India's strategically key partners in the region, with an aim to deepen defence ties, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.
The focus would be on the pact that both nations would ink on defence cooperation. This would be similar to the one inked several years back which had expired. All eyes would also be on the maritime cooperation between the two countries.The US, Australia and several other leading powers have been favouring a greater role by India in the Indo-Pacific region where China has been flexing its military might. Indonesia is in fact India's closest maritime neighbour and there would be discussions on ways to deepen maritime cooperation, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.
Both countries are close maritime neighbours - the shortest distance between Andaman and Aceh is just 80 nautical miles. This has implications on maritime security, counter-terrorism and anti-piracy operations.
Indonesia
is
the
largest
trading
partner
of
India
in
the
ASEAN
region
with
bilateral
trade
of
$17
billion
in
2016-17.
India
is
also
a
major
source
of
military
hardware
for
Indonesia.
China's
stance
in
South
China
Sea
is
of
common
concern.
Indonesia
has
common
claims
with
China
on
some
islands
and
India
is
worried
about
security
of
sea
lanes
of
communication
in
the
region.
Both
are
fast-growing
large
economies
looking
for
global
investors.
Indonesia
has
its
version
of
Make
in
India
and
has
invited
Indian
companies
to
invest.
There
are
about
1
lakh
Indonesians
of
Indian
origin
and
over
7,500
Indian
nationals
in
Indonesia.
In Indonesia, Modi will hold detailed discussions with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Jakarta. He will also interact with Chief Executive Officers and the Indian community in Indonesia. He will address the Indian gathering in Jakarta. The event is reportedly schedule to take place at 4 pm local time. Almost 3000 registrations have come up for this event as of now, that is, when the copy was written.
It will be followed by a brief stopover at Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur, where Prime Minister will congratulate the newly elected Prime Minister of Malaysia Dr. Mahathir Mohammad.