US Secretary Of State Visits Indonesia: Pompeo's Visit To Stem Chinese Hegemony

JAKARTA - United States (US) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo finally arrived in Indonesia this morning, 29 October. Reportedly, this is Pompeo's last tour in order to fight Chinese hegemony. One of the focuses of the agenda in Indonesia is the Indo-Pacific, in which the South China Sea is included.

"Nice to be back in Jakarta! Looking forward to meeting President Joko Widodo and the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs to discuss our shared free and open vision of #IndoPacific and my speech to Nahdlatul Ulama on shared values that support regional peace and prosperity," Pompeo said through Twitter account @SecPompeo.

Glad to be back in Jakarta! Looking forward to meeting with President @jokowi and Foreign Minister @Menlu_RI to discuss our shared vision of a free and open #IndoPacific and my speech to @nahdlatululama on the shared values that underpin regional peace and prosperity. pic.twitter.com/3urcsnMnid

- Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) October 28, 2020

Indonesia is the final destination country in a series of visits to fight Chinese hegemony. Prior to Indonesia, Pompeo had visited several countries, one of which was India. There he explained the purpose of his visits to many countries.

“There is definitely more work to be done. We have a lot to discuss today: Our cooperation in dealing with the pandemic that originated in Wuhan, to confront the Chinese Communist Party's threat to security and freedom to promote peace and stability across the region, "Pompeo said.

According to an official statement by the US government submitted to the website of the US Embassy in Indonesia, the country affirmed that the two countries share the same vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Including a commitment to freedom of navigation and flight.

"Indonesia is a leader in ASEAN and an anchor of the rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific. The United States remains deeply involved in the Indo-Pacific, and we and our partners believe that the best way to prevent conflict is to reinforce shared values," it reads. .

The US side recognizes security cooperation with Indonesia as a key pillar of their strategic partnership. The US admits that it is proud to be Indonesia's biggest defense partner in terms of joint military exercises. In addition, the US also said the importance of cooperation between the two countries in fighting extremism and terrorism, to build a safer world.

And what is impossible to escape, the US also praises Indonesia for safeguarding its maritime rights and fighting Chinese aggression in the South China Sea. "We respect Indonesia's strong efforts to safeguard its maritime rights and fight against PRC aggression in the South China Sea, including in the Exclusive Economic Zone around the Natunan Islands," he wrote.

The maintenance of Indo Pacific cooperation was warmly welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno LP Marsudi. We are also committed to promoting open, inclusive, transparent and rules-based Indo-Pacific cooperation as reflected in the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and strengthening cooperation in Peacekeeping Operations, "Retno said via her Twitter account @Menlu_RI.

We also commit to promote an open, inclusive, transparent, and rules-based Indo-Pacific cooperation as reflected at the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and strengthen cooperation on Peace Keeping Operations, including empowerment of PKO's women.

- Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia (@Menlu_RI) October 29, 2020

According to Pompeo's agenda, his visit to Indonesia will be brief, namely from October 28-29. Apart from discussing the issue of cooperation in the security sector, the two countries will also enhance partnerships in the health and economic sectors.