There is no eternal friend.

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping finally sat at the same table in Beijing. Even though the United States and China are competing fiercely.

The trade war is not over. Technology is a hot potato. Chips are a hot potato. Artificial intelligence is a hot potato. Food and supply chains are too. Taiwan remains a coal that can ignite at any time. But the two still meet.

Reuters reported that China signaled a reduction in tariffs and opened market access for US agricultural products after the meeting. There were also talks about trade and investment forums. The results are not final. But the direction is read. Political temperature is lowered. Trade affairs are still saved.

That's how world politics work. In public, they can push each other. At the negotiating table, the count changes. It's not about liking or not liking. What counts is the market, technology, food, industry, and bargaining position.

In the movie The Godfather, Michael Corleone once said, "It's not personal, Sonny. It's strictly business." Harsh. But right. Today's world moves with such logic. There are no eternal friends. There are interests that are constantly recalculated.

Indonesia can learn a lot from the meeting of the two world leaders. The meeting between Trump and Xi should not only be read as a matter of two big countries. Behind it there is a message. A country that wants to be respected must know what it should not give up.

"America is guarding its factories. China is guarding its supply chain and its market. Many countries are now more openly cleaning up their own house before talking to the world.

Indonesia is also moving in that direction. In almost the same days, President Prabowo Subianto was present in three agendas. Marsinah Museum. Red and White Village Cooperative. Corn harvest.

Labor. Village. Corn. These three words sound simple. But from there the direction of a country can be read.

When inaugurating the Marsinah Museum in Nganjuk on May 16, 2026, Prabowo called Marsinah a symbol of the workers' struggle. The government, through the Palace statement, placed the museum to remind that economic development does not forget the people who work in it.

Workers should not be forgotten. If workers feel abandoned, unrest will pile up. When it explodes, everyone will be affected.

After that, Prabowo inaugurated 1,061 Red and White Village and Village Cooperatives in East Java. This program is placed as an effort to strengthen the people's economy from the village.

Cooperatives may sound old-fashioned. Not as attractive as startups. Not as popular as giant investments. But villages that have their own economic breath will be more resistant when food prices rise, distribution is stalled, or the global market is shaky.

Then the harvest of corn in Tuban. The palace said the agenda was part of strengthening national food security.

Corn may seem ordinary. But today's food has become a bargaining tool. The war in Ukraine shows how wheat can shake many countries. The Middle East conflict shows how energy and logistics routes can turn into political pressure.

So when Trump and Xi talk tariffs, agriculture, markets, and technology, Indonesia can't just watch from the sidelines.

Indonesia has nickel. It has the sea. It has a large population. It has villages. It has farmers. It has workers. It has a market. But all of these are still raw materials if they are not processed into strength.

This is where Bumi Manusia feels relevant. In Pramoedya Ananta Toer's novel, Minke shows the awareness of indigenous people that slowly grows. Dignity does not come as a gift. It must be fought with knowledge, courage, and the ability to stand up.

Indonesia can be close to America. Can work with China. Can join any forum. It's okay. But don't let it just become a market for other people's goods. Don't just be a supplier of raw materials. Don't just be a place where people plant capital, while technology and added value remain outside.

The meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping shows that big countries are not shy about protecting their own interests. Indonesia also does not need to be shy. Friends can change. The map of the world can change. But the house itself must be cleaned first. The question is only one. Does Indonesia want to determine its own path, or continue to follow the interests of others?