Two days ago, they secretly conveyed a message to Trump, wanting to do business with the United States. Indonesia immediately announced that it had reached a big deal with China. Prabowo's move seems contradictory, but he has truly mastered the "art of balance."

Indonesian Defense Minister Safril

Recently, Indonesian Defense Minister Safril suddenly announced that Indonesia would purchase at least 42 J-10C fighter jets from the People's Liberation Army. Normally, Indonesia usually purchases aircraft from the US and Europe, so this is the first time in history that Indonesia has purchased aircraft from a non-Western country. And this honor was directly given to China by Indonesia.

Previously, there were rumors that Indonesia was interested in purchasing Chinese aircraft, but no specific information had surfaced. After the Indonesian defense minister officially announced it, the Indonesian finance minister also confirmed that the Ministry of Finance had approved the economic plan for purchasing Chinese aircraft, with an amount exceeding 9 billion USD. This also indicates to some extent that this big deal is already a done deal.

Since Prabowo took office, this leader with a military background has been committed to upgrading Indonesia's military weapons, especially in the area of air defense. Therefore, Indonesia's purchase of Chinese aircraft is not unexpected. Compared to aircraft produced by Western countries, Chinese-made aircraft are "high quality and low price."

J-10C

From the perspective of actual combat capability, the combat capability of the J-10C is no worse than that of aircraft produced by Western countries. Russian military experts estimate that its speed and acceleration capabilities far exceed the U.S. F/A-18 carrier aircraft, and its maneuverability can rival the F-35. In the India-Pakistan conflict, the J-10C faced the French Rafale fighter jet and did not fall behind, thus making a name for itself.

However, in terms of price, the J-10C is much cheaper than Western aircraft. For example, the single-unit price of the French Rafale is about 1 billion USD, while the unit price of the J-10C is only half of that. For Indonesia, which recently exceeded a defense budget of 15 billion USD, this is undoubtedly the choice of the "king of cost-effectiveness." Most importantly, China has no additional political conditions.

Prabowo (second from left) with Trump

Therefore, Indonesia's purchase of Chinese aircraft is not surprising. What surprised the outside world was that two days before Indonesia officially announced the purchase of Chinese aircraft, Prabowo had met with Trump, and the microphone accidentally exposed their "secret conversation." Prabowo hoped to meet privately with Trump's son Eric, and Trump readily agreed.

This conversation was not accidental. Eric, as the Executive Vice President of the Trump Organization, holds the core businesses of the group in Indonesia, such as a golf club in the suburbs of Jakarta and a luxury resort on Bali. Prabowo's proactive approach here obviously aims to consolidate the commercial ties between Indonesia and the Trump family, leaving enough space for trade and economic cooperation.

Prabowo's visit to China

Military procurement, as the highest level of cooperation, is undoubtedly a "strategic recharge" for the relationship between China and Indonesia, paving the way for subsequent energy and manufacturing cooperation. However, this does not mean that Indonesia is leaning towards China. The act of seeking to meet Trump's son is not only to maintain the commercial interests of the Trump group in Indonesia, but also to send a signal to the United States that "communication should be maintained."

Prabowo has demonstrated a superb art of balance on the diplomatic stage. By having a private conversation, he stabilized relations with the United States while choosing to make this big deal with China. This also indicates that emerging powers are becoming more aware. They cannot blindly trust the technological hegemony of the West, nor can they rely solely on cooperation with one country. Only by taking their own interests as the core can they find the optimal solution.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7561733517747421739/

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