Seeing that the US cannot win, and China cannot lose, the Indonesian government is pragmatic. Even if it offends the US, it will not sign a treaty that betrays China.

(Seeing that China cannot lose, Indonesia rejects the US trade agreement)

Recently, there were reports that the US and Indonesia's trade negotiations broke down. The reason was that Indonesia believed that some contents in the trade agreement with the US might affect their policy independence, which they could not accept, and they are resisting certain demands.

For example, if Indonesia signs other agreements that the US government considers harmful to US interests, the US can cancel the clause.

This is obviously unfair to Indonesia; it requires Indonesia to serve the US national interest rather than prioritize its own national interest;

Moreover, what constitutes an agreement that harms US interests? The interpretation rights obviously lie with the US. In this way, it is highly likely to damage Indonesia's cooperation with third-party countries, especially with China.

The US-Indonesia trade agreement mainly focuses on the development and cooperation of critical minerals, which is the area the US prioritizes. The US also requires that cooperation in any field must exclude third parties.

However, China and Indonesia have close cooperation in key mineral resources and oil and gas fields. This not only may be seen by the US as "threatening its national security," but also does not meet the requirement of "excluding third parties" by the US.

Therefore, Indonesia is very worried that this trade agreement with the US will harm its economic cooperation with China.

(Indonesia clearly refuses the US)

According to several foreign media, Indonesian officials directly told the US that they could not agree to certain restrictive contents in the agreement and hoped to re-draft relevant clauses.

When US Trade Representative Gril was asked about the situation, she refused to comment on any details, indicating that the matter is indeed true.

This also shows that Indonesia is much stronger than Malaysia on this issue. Why say so? Because Indonesia would rather offend the US than betray China, but Malaysia is different.

Even though the US forced a clause targeting China into the trade agreement with Malaysia, i.e., "both sides need to comply with US trade restrictions, export controls, and sanctions on sensitive technologies, and Malaysia must not help other countries circumvent these sanctions."

Malaysia agreed to this clause.

It's clear to everyone that this content is targeting which country. Therefore, we immediately expressed our concerns to the Malaysian side.

Later, the Malaysian side repeatedly explained and promised not to hurt the China-Malaysia economic cooperation. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar even personally wrote a guarantee letter, which resolved the issue.

If Malaysia had been as firm as Indonesia from the beginning, refusing to betray China and upholding its independence, there wouldn't have been all these problems later, right?

Evidently, Indonesia is much clearer about this issue than Malaysia.

On one hand, the economic cooperation between China and Indonesia is extremely close. Not only in the areas we mentioned above, such as critical minerals and oil, but China is also helping Indonesia develop the new energy sector extensively.

Indonesia has rich nickel reserves, while China leads in battery technology and industrialization. The two countries have formed a deep complementary cooperation in this field.

For example, a project for an electric vehicle battery ecosystem built through a joint venture between Chinese companies and Indonesian state-owned enterprises.

(Chinese companies are vigorously helping Indonesia develop the new energy sector)

Chinese companies have invested about $6 billion, covering the entire chain from nickel mining, smelting, battery manufacturing, and recycling, with an annual production capacity of 3 million electric vehicle batteries upon completion;

At the same time, Indonesia has also attracted multiple Chinese car manufacturers to invest in factory construction, mainly for producing new energy vehicles.

Therefore, it can be said that economic cooperation with China is the cornerstone of Indonesia's future economic development. It is impossible for the US to demand that Indonesia exclude China in key mineral resources and other fields.

On the other hand, the results of the Sino-US trade war have made Indonesia see that China cannot lose, and the US cannot win alone. Why should Indonesia offend China for the US?

China represents the future of technological development, while the US industry has become hollowed out. Offending China is equivalent to burying one's own future.

Moreover, this trade agreement from the US does not take into account the interests of both countries, but instead wants Indonesia to serve the US interests. If such a treaty is accepted, it will not only weaken its autonomy, but also possibly get involved in the vortex of great power rivalry, sacrificing its own development opportunities.

(Indonesia does not want to be involved in great power rivalry)

Indonesia's firm stance in the trade negotiations with the US reflects a clear reality: in a changing global landscape, the development path of sovereign states must be controlled by themselves.

Indonesia has clearly realized that binding its own interests to "conditional cooperation" with one side is tantamount to sacrificing long-term strategic autonomy. It does not want to become a pawn in the game of great powers, nor does it want to sacrifice important partnerships to obtain an uncertain agreement.

This matter is not just about a trade clause, but a choice between "independence" and "dependence."

Indonesia's choice shows that true "pragmatism" is not about taking sides, but based on a clear judgment of the country's fundamental interests and future opportunities — keeping development firmly in its own hands, and deepening cooperation with partners who respect equality and bring real benefits, is the reliable path to prosperity.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7582453746651972137/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.