Beijing, 13 August 2024 (TDI): China and Indonesia are holding their first Senior Officials’ Meeting of the Joint Foreign and Defense Ministerial Dialogue, that analysts say will potentially cover many topics including the South China Sea issue.
Experts believe that Indonesia will play a constructive role in the current tensions between China and the Philippines in the Sea, as cooperation between Beijing and Jakarta will set an example for ASEAN member countries while contributing to stabilizing the situation in the South China Sea.
As agreed between the two countries, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Sun Weidong and Deputy Director of the Office for International Military Cooperation of the Central Military Commission Zhang Baoqun led a delegation to Indonesia on Monday to hold the first Senior Officials’ Meeting of the Dialogue, according to a statement by a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson.
The Dialogue, launched in 2023, is the first 2+2 ministerial meeting established between China and another country. During the meeting, the two sides will exchange views on China-Indonesia ties and international and regional issues of mutual interest, the spokesperson said.
Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, said that 2+2 ministerial dialogues usually take place only between allies or nations with close ties and high strategic mutual trust.
This officials’ meeting is likely to pave the way and create better conditions for negotiations among even higher level officials in the future, Qian said.
In terms of what might be discussed, Chen Xiangmiao, director of the World Navy Research Center at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said that the meeting will likely address ties between China and ASEAN, and Beijing’s support for ASEAN’s centrality in the region.
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The two sides are also likely to discuss the talks on the Code of Conduct on the South China Sea, with a view to reaching an agreement on the COC as soon as possible.
In addition, the two sides are expected to continue to focus on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and discuss ways to strengthen economic and trade cooperation under the framework of RCEP and the upgraded China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, Chen said.
