Possibilities for defence industry cooperation with China are being explored.

Indonesia and China have agreed to draft a memorandum of understanding on defence and security cooperation as a follow up to their decision of April 25th, 2005 to establish a strategic partnership, a Defence Ministry spokesman said. antara

Until now Indonesia does not have any cooperation in the fields of defense and security with China. Therefore, to follow up on the strategic partnership agreed, a memorandum of understanding for such cooperation will be drawn up.
(Selama ini Cina belum memiliki kerjasama pertahanan dan keamanan dengan Indonesia. Untuk itu, menindaklanjuti kemitraan strategis yang telah disepakati, maka dirumuskan nota kesepahaman tentang kerjasama itu.)

said Eddy Butar Butar, the defence ministry`s chief information officer, after attending a meeting between Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono and a delegation from the Chinese defense ministry.

He added that cooperation between the two countries in the coordination of regional and international cases would be continued to create regional peace and prosperity.

Besides getting chummy on defence issues he said Indonesia also affirmed its One China policy. This was seen starkly only recently when the Taiwanese president, Chen Shui-Bain, arrived on the island of Batam unannounced and Indonesian officials scrambled to get rid of him. A spokesman for the vice-president, Alwi Hamu, pleaded with journalists not to report the arrival of Chen Shui-Bain. detik

Please don’t tell about this, it will damage our relations with China.
(Tolong rekan-rekan wartawan jangan memberitakan kedatangan ini. Nanti bisa merusak hubungan diplomatik RI dengan Cina.)

Meanwhile the defence ministry’s secretary general, Lt Gen Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, said all the forms of cooperation agreed on by the two countries, including those under the strategic partnership, were based on mutual benefit and appreciation of each other’s sovereignty.

Both countries have their own culture and tradition which might support the cooperation of the two countries.
(Masing-masing negara mempunyai latarbelakang budaya dan tradisi yang memungkinkan mendukung peningkatan hubungan kerjasama diantara dua negara.)

In the equipment area he made a confusing statement.

Although the Chinese defense ministry does not have any authority in the procurement of military equipment, it pledges it will help Indonesia in supplies.
(Meski Departemen Pertahanan Cina tidak memiliki kewenangan dalam pengadaan peralatan militer, namun berjanji akan membantu RI dalam pengadaan peralatan militer.)

The meeting also agreed on the importance of the pacification of the Malacca Straits sea lanes, including the one relied upon by China to get crude oil from Middle East. Therein likely remains the point of this, China’s interest in securing its trade routes.

_______________

8th February 2007.

Admiral Slamet Soebijanto says that the Indonesian and Chinese navies will co-operate in the areas of training and education but not yet in weapons supplies, although China had made some offers already. antara