Macron seeks stronger trade and defence ties in Jakarta, promotes France as balancing power between US and China

Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) speaks with Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto during an agreement-signing event at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta today. — AFP pic

JAKARTA, May 28 — French President Emmanuel Macron met his Indonesian counterpart todaay, seeking to deepen trade and defence ties with Southeast Asia’s largest economy on the second leg of a three-country tour promoting France as a balancing power between the US and China.

Macron met Prabowo Subianto at the presidential palace in capital Jakarta, hailing their countries’ close relationship after being greeted by a guard of honour, gun salute and thousands of young Indonesians waving French flags.

“Our partnership on all the fields, defence and security, economy, culture is already strong, but we are strengthening it,” Macron told Prabowo.

“I think this is to the best way to... handle the business in challenging times. So thank you very much for your support, our friendship and your very special attachment to France.”

Prabowo replied: “Merci beaucoup, monsieur!”

The French president will later meet investors and students and attend a state dinner.

Tomorrow he will travel to Yogyakarta on Indonesia’s Java island to visit the world’s largest Buddhist temple, before heading to Singapore to conclude his six-day tour.

Indonesian Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said after welcoming Macron that the countries would “strengthen their strategic partnership in the defence sector” by signing a letter of intent on defence equipment, the presidency said in a statement.

In the face of Donald Trump’s tariffs and the United States’ economic confrontation with China, Macron is seeking to turn his “third way” position into contracts for French companies, particularly in defence, energy and critical minerals.

He has indicated he will also try to get the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country on board as he pushes for a two-state solution for the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict at a United Nations conference in June.

“Naturally, the question of recognising Israel is an issue,” one of Macron’s advisers told reporters before the trip.

“We understand perfectly well the sensitivities of the Muslim communities in the region” regarding the situation in Gaza, the adviser added.

Macron wants to show that he is “particularly committed” to “achieving peace in the Middle East” while demonstrating no double standards on the issue in light of his efforts to solve the Ukraine war, he said.

‘Power for peace’

In Vietnam yesterday, Macron presented France as a “power of peace and balance”, committed to an international order “based on law”.

This was viewed as a message both to Beijing, which has become increasingly assertive in its territorial claims in the South China Sea, and to Washington over Trump’s threats of wide-ranging tariffs.

Macron warned that “constantly creating uncertainty” with trade policy was “holding back investment and the economy”.

His remarks came as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) — of which Indonesia is a member—said at the bloc’s summit in Malaysia it would speed up efforts to diversify trade networks in the face of Trump’s tariffs.

So Macron’s office is looking for economic wins in the Southeast Asian archipelago of around 280 million people.

The new chief executive of French mining giant Eramet, Paulo Castellari, was to be part of a French delegation trying to get Jakarta to increase production at the world’s largest nickel mine in eastern Indonesia.

Paris also intends to step up cooperation on arms with Indonesia’s Prabowo, a former defence minister and general.

While Jakarta has previously sourced fighter jets from Russia, in recent years it has acquired Rafales from French company Dassault Aviation, whose chief Eric Trappier will join the French delegation. — AFP