JAKARTA, April 18, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - China's top diplomat met Indonesian 
President Joko Widodo and his successor Prabowo Subianto on Thursday as 
Beijing seeks to boost its regional influence. 

The meetings come after Prabowo visited Beijing this month where Chinese 
President Xi Jinping praised relations with Jakarta, laying out a vision for 
regional peace as tensions rise between Beijing and other Southeast Asian 
neighbours -- including the Philippines over the disputed South China Sea.

Indonesian defence minister Prabowo stormed to a first-round majority victory 
in Indonesia's presidential election in February. He has voiced support for 
developing closer ties with Beijing.

Wang also met Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi earlier on Thursday 
before visiting Widodo, more popularly known as Jokowi, at the presidential 
palace and then Prabowo at the defence ministry.

Retno said Jokowi and Wang expressed their desire for regional peace and 
stability, and repeated calls for a de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza 
between Israel and Hamas.

"Mr. President emphasised no one would like to see any escalation," she told 
reporters after the meeting.

"China's and Indonesia's position are the same on this issue and Mr. 
President also conveyed his belief that China would also use its influence to 
prevent escalation."

Beijing's top diplomat will then chair a session of the China-Indonesia High-
level Dialogue Cooperation Mechanism on Friday before travelling to Cambodia 
and Papua New Guinea.

China is one of the biggest sources of foreign direct investment in Indonesia 
and has poured billions of dollars into projects in the archipelago nation.

Indonesia's foreign policy is typically neutral and Jakarta walks a delicate 
diplomatic tightrope in its relations between Beijing and Washington, who are 
chafing over trade, Ukraine, the Middle East, Taiwan and the South China Sea.

Chinese companies have ploughed money into the extraction of Indonesian 
natural resources in recent years, particularly the nickel sector where 
Beijing's spending has stoked unrest over pay and working conditions.

Jakarta inaugurated Southeast Asia's first high-speed rail line last year, 
also a multibillion-dollar project backed by Beijing.