Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
International relations observer from Pelita Harapan University, Aleksius Jemadu, said that United States of America the possibility of considering Indonesia pragmatic so that the Vice President Kamala Harris decided not to go to RI on his visit to Southeast Asia this week.
“In the eyes of the US, Indonesia may be seen as using the rivalry (hostility) of the US and China for its interests,” said Aleksius when contacted CNNIndonesia.com, Tuesday (24/8).
He then explained, “So if the US is profitable, it will be close to the US. If there is convenience with China, it will be close to China, that is pragmatic.”
With that premise, Aleksius sees that the US may think that it will be difficult for Indonesia to implement long-term commitments.
Meanwhile, the relationship between Indonesia and China is established in various sectors, such as the economy and the health industry, as well as investment in various strategic projects. This closeness is considered to make it difficult for Indonesia to oppose China in Southeast Asia.
“Maybe because Indonesia is too close to China, the US is doubting its independence in Southeast Asia,” he said.
In contrast to Aleksius, International Relations Observer from the University of Indonesia, Hikmahanto Juwana, considers RI not to be visited, not because it is not geopolitically important to the US.
“In the eyes of the US, if Indonesia falls into the hands of China, then many countries will also fall,” he said.
Hikmahanto then mentioned three reasons Harris alleged that he did not visit Indonesia, but Singapore and Vietnam this week.
First, his visit to Vietnam because the country is aggressively confronting China over Beijing’s claim to the 9-dash line in the South China Sea.
“The presence of the vice president as the number 2 highest official in the US is so that China is not aggressive in using weapons against Vietnam,” he said.
With this visit, the US wants to show that it will be behind Vietnam to help if China does attack. Such a message, said Hikmahanto, would not have happened if Harris visited Indonesia.
“Given that Indonesia does not have overlapping claims with China, considering that Indonesia does not recognize the 9 Dotted Lines claimed by China,” he said.
For Singapore, it is clear that even though it is a small country, the country’s economy cannot be underestimated. On the other hand, Singapore is an ally of the US, although it is not listed in the defense pact.
The US can ask its allies who have economic power to share the burden (burden sharing) in the face of Chinese power.
Hikmahanto emphasized that Harris’ absence to Indonesia did not show that Indonesia was less important in the eyes of the US.
“It could be that the US government wants to provide an opportunity for Indonesia to concentrate and focus on handling the pandemic that has recently flared up,” he said.
In addition, the Biden government is building cooperation with Indonesia at a concrete level, not symbolic to give a message to China, Hikmahanto continued.
“This is important for the Biden government, which comes from the Democratic Party. The ideology of the Democrats is to promote respect for human rights and democracy,” he said.
Hikmahanto then explained that for Democratic constituents, it is difficult to get rid of the impression that Indonesia is free from the issue of human rights violations and democratization.
“Therefore, the Biden government still sees Indonesia as important, but at the same time it is not perceived by its constituents as if it has abandoned the ideals of promoting human rights and democracy,” said Hikmahanto.
(isa/has)
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