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On August 12, China and Indonesia held the first senior officials' meeting of the "2+2" dialogue mechanism between foreign ministers and defense ministers. This marks the official launch of China's first ministerial-level "2+2" mechanism. Under the current international situation, what are the deep considerations behind the establishment and launch of the "2+2" dialogue mechanism between China and Indonesia? What far-reaching impact will this have on regional peace and stability?On this topic,Yangtze River NewsevenWang Xiaopeng, an expert on maritime issues at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, was contacted online.

Yangtze River News:Under the current international situation, China has established a "2+2" dialogue mechanism with Indonesia for the first time and officially launched the senior officials' meeting. What is the extraordinary significance of this? As the first "2+2" dialogue mechanism established by China, why did it choose Indonesia as a cooperation partner?

Wang Xiaopeng: The establishment of such a "2+2" mechanism between China and Indonesia means that both sides regard each other as one of the most important partners. The establishment of this "2+2" mechanism means that in addition to some traditional cooperation topics, the two sides will have higher-quality and higher-level communication in the diplomatic field, especially in some core areas involving the security of both sides. The reason why Indonesia was chosen as the first country to establish this mechanism should be said to have multiple considerations. First of all, we must look at the basic framework of the bilateral relationship between China and Indonesia. China and Indonesia are at similar stages of development, have similar traditional cultures, and are deeply complementary and intertwined in economic development and economic structure. Therefore, it is very necessary and constructive for both sides to build a more favorable and more diversified cooperation mechanism. From a macro perspective, China is the world's most populous country and the second largest economy, while Indonesia is the strongest country in Southeast Asia, the largest economy in the region, the most populous country, and the fourth most populous country in the world. Therefore, Indonesia occupies a very critical position in the entire regional cooperation and even in the global framework. It is particularly necessary for China and Indonesia to build a deeper bilateral cooperation relationship. In addition, from the perspective of "soft power", in recent years, Indonesia has been committed to building a "global maritime fulcrum country", especially on some major geopolitical issues, its statements are relatively fair, and it is also willing to do things on some specific geopolitical issues. Therefore, whether from the perspective of overall geopolitical layout or from the perspective of the development of bilateral relations, China and Indonesia are relatively able to move towards each other.

Yangtze River News:In the China-Indonesia 2+2 dialogue mechanism, international public opinion generally pays attention to the security cooperation between the two sides. In the ASEAN region, Indonesia is the country with the largest area, the largest population, and the largest economy. Its comprehensive military strength is also in the first echelon in ASEAN. On this basis, what is the unique significance of the establishment of the 2+2 dialogue mechanism between China and Indonesia?

Wang Xiaopeng:In terms of security, both sides have a lot of potential. On the one hand, Indonesia is a country with a very critical geographical location. Indonesia is an archipelago country with many important sea throats and transportation routes between islands. Take the Strait of Malacca as an example. Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, three Southeast Asian countries, control the entire important Malacca Strait sea route and occupy a very critical position in the field of global trade. As the largest country and the largest military power in Southeast Asia, Indonesia has carried out close security cooperation with China, including intelligence exchange between the two sides, and the two sides can carry out some specific cooperation in some low-sensitivity areas, which is of outstanding significance for maintaining regional peace and stability and maintaining the smooth flow of international waterways. In addition, Indonesia is the largest military power in the entire Southeast Asia region. This is not only reflected in its navy and air force, the size and personnel of the navy, but also in its equipment, including a series of overall military deployments. Therefore, the in-depth security cooperation between China and Indonesia can also play a prominent role in maintaining peace and stability in the entire region and even the world.

Yangtze River News:At present, the extraterritorial forces led by the United States are "playing chess and making moves" around China, trying to win over some ASEAN countries to engage in so-called "strategic competition". Against this background, how will Indonesia, which has clearly deepened cooperation with China in various fields, offset the disruptive and destructive role of the United States in the region?

Wang Xiaopeng:As the "leader" in the entire ASEAN affairs, Indonesia can play a certain leading and even dominant role in a series of regional affairs. Therefore, under the specific background of the current complex international situation, for example, on issues such as the South China Sea, Indonesia and China have carried out more active communication, built more cooperation platforms on the basis of accumulating consensus, and built a more active overall framework for regional cooperation. This can play a certain role in curbing the United States and other Western countries who attempt to provoke risks here. The United States is trying to push the entire regional situation towards militarization. According to incomplete statistics, in 2023, the United States and its allies will have more than 100 large and medium-sized military exercises in the South China Sea and its surrounding areas, and thousands of small-scale military exercises and training. Under such a premise, it is particularly necessary for China to carry out close cooperation with the entire ASEAN countries, including Indonesia, including military communication in some medium and high sensitive areas. Therefore, whether it is the construction of the "2+2" dialogue mechanism between China and Indonesia, or the several dialogue and cooperation mechanisms currently established between China and ASEAN countries, it can also play a prominent constructive role in curbing the risk of some extraterritorial powers trying to disrupt the regional situation.

Source: Changjiang News