China and Indonesia hold the First Ministerial Meeting of Joint Foreign and Defense Ministerial Dialogue in Beijing on April 21, 2025. Photo: VCG

China and Indonesia held the First Ministerial Meeting of Joint Foreign and Defense Ministerial Dialogue in Beijing on Monday.

Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Defense Minister Dong Jun chaired the meeting, together with Indonesia's Foreign Minister Sugiono and Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, the Xinhua News Agency reported. 

Wang said the two heads of state have met twice in the past year, and jointly outlined a blueprint for the development of China-Indonesia relations in the new era. Under the personal attention of the two heads of state, China and Indonesia have established and launched the Joint Foreign and Defense Ministerial Dialogue, he added.

Noting that this is the first Joint Foreign and Defense Ministerial Dialogue between China and a foreign country, Wang said it reflects the high level of strategic mutual trust between the two countries, and also further enriches the connotation of a China-Indonesia community with a shared future with regional and global impact.

Chinese observers said the joint foreign and defense ministerial dialogue is a milestone for bilateral relations and demonstrates the quick development of political and strategic mutual trust on top of already robust economic and people-to-people bonds. 

Amid global turbulence, the mechanism can serve as an exemplar to enhance communication and cooperation within the region, facilitate the settlement of differences and inject much-needed positivity into regional stability and prosperity amid attempts by certain countries and external forces to stir up troubles, observers said. 

Dong said China is willing to work with Indonesia to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of both countries and build a new pattern of defense and security cooperation characterized by deeper strategic mutual trust, better institutional frameworks, more robust coordination, and stronger foundation in addressing challenges.

Sugiono noted that Indonesia is willing to work with China to further strengthen political mutual trust, enhance exchanges at all levels, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and strengthen communication and collaboration within multilateral frameworks.

Sjafrie expressed Indonesia's willingness to enhance cooperation with China in fields including defense and maritime security to maintain regional peace and stability.

After the meeting, Wang and Sugiono signed a memorandum of understanding on establishing a comprehensive strategic dialogue mechanism between the Chinese and Indonesian governments, Xinhua reported. During the meeting, the two sides signed documents on cooperation in maritime security and other areas.

A milestone in ties  

The joint foreign and defense ministerial dialogue marks a milestone for the strategic relationship between China and Indonesia, Chen Xiangmiao, director of the World Navy Research Center at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times on Monday.  

Unlike dialogues between ministers of one specific ministry, via such an integrated mechanism, critical affairs involving diplomatic and security facets can be communicated more efficiently, Chen explained.   

Ge Hongliang, vice dean of the ASEAN College at Guangxi Minzu University, told the Global Times on Monday that China and Indonesia have long enjoyed active trade relations, and in recent years, bilateral cooperation on defense and security affairs have also seen more fruitful results, and the "2+2" ministerial dialogue stands as testament to increasing political and strategic mutual trust between the two countries. 

Liu Zhenli, Chief of the Joint Staff Department of China's Central Military Commission, made a visit to Indonesia in January, during which China and Indonesia vowed to seek concrete and pragmatic actions to boost military and coast guard cooperation. 

Last year, Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command dispatched troops to Indonesia to participate in the Peace Garuda-2024 joint HADR (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief), the first of its kind between the Chinese and Indonesian militaries, China Military Online reported in November 2024. 

At the Monday "2+2" dialogue, the two sides have decided to establish a consultation mechanism on disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control between China and Indonesia. The two sides will enhance law enforcement and security cooperation, jointly combat transnational crimes such as cross-border gambling and telecom fraud, and strengthen cybersecurity cooperation, according to a readout released by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Chen said the dialogue mechanism carries strategic significance as it reflects both sides' commitment to expanding shared interests, carrying out substantial cooperation and advancing strategic relations. 

Ge said Indonesia is a major country in the ASEAN and its relations and interactions with China are believed to have great influence on other Southeast Asian countries. "In other words, the mechanism has an exemplar effect," Ge said.  

President Xi Jinping concluded successful visits to Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia on Friday. During his Southeast Asian trip, Xi proposed China and Vietnam should set the "3+3" strategic dialogue on diplomacy, defense and public security between the two countries at the ministerial level to enhance strategic coordination; During his visit to Malaysia, Xi called on the two sides to establish a "2+2" dialogue mechanism on diplomacy and national defense to deepen exchanges and cooperation on national security, defense and law enforcement. During his visit to Cambodia, the Chinese president said that the two sides should make good use of the newly established "2+2" strategic dialogue mechanism between foreign ministers and defense ministers of the two countries to strengthen strategic coordination.   

Injecting positivity

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Bandung Conference. The joint foreign and defense ministerial dialogue, as well as China's interactions with many other ASEAN members, are inheriting and carrying forward Asian wisdom to manage differences and maximize common ground, Ge said.

In a turbulent world challenged by unilateralism and protectionism, such Asian wisdom can inject much-needed positivity into regional stability and prosperity, the expert said.   

Chen believes with the China-Indonesia "2+2" dialogue mechanism, the two countries can enhance defense cooperation and play a more crucial role in regional security landscape and help maintain orderly security architecture, Chen said.

Coinciding with the China-Indonesia joint foreign and defense ministerial dialogue, the US and the Philippines kicked off their annual "Balikatan" (shoulder-to-shoulder) military drills in the South China Sea. The exercise will run for three weeks until May 9, showcasing an array of US weapons that include the NMESIS anti-ship missile system and HIMARS rocket launchers, the Jakarta Post reported Monday.

In contrast to collusion between certain regional country and external forces to fan the flames in the region, China and Indonesia, along with majority of regional countries, share common interest and seek to maintain peace and stability, Ge said, noting that the approach and purpose of China-Indonesia "2+2" dialogue are conducive to sustainable stability, only with which can the region realize prosperity.