China's Bold Strategy: Indonesia Shakes Off US Influence! Geopolitical Trends

Hello everybody and welcome to Geopolitical Trends, where truth matters. Excited to be with you as always. Uh, interesting topic I'm going to be addressing for you today, providing you my own analysis about. This one has to do with the recent meeting, uh, the 2+2, which is the first of its own kind meeting between Indonesia and China. So, uh, there is a lot going on behind the scenes. Some of you may remember when I asked the question as to why President Xi Jinping, when he made a trip to Southeast Asia regarding Malaysia, okay, and Vietnam and Cambodia, and left out Indonesia. So, and I asked the question why. So now we might have an answer for this. So anyway, this is what I'm going to be providing you my own analysis on and, uh, and we'll just go from there. So first, let me say hi to our wonderful community. Uh, Azhar Idris, title a bit ignorant. I, I don't quite understand what you are talking about here, uh, if you're judging this because of a title. And don't jump to conclusions, I have my reasons to why I put that title. So, and that's not the final title, by the way, uh, but, uh Now this one here, uh, hi Doc, really appreciate you for blocking my comments. Uh, I don't have any beef with you. I, I don't know what you're referring to. I don't block comments. I block comments— I will remove you from the chat if you disrespect the community. That is my red line, and I don't waver from that. I don't care who you are. Uh, but you know, you have no beef against me. I have nothing against anybody whatsoever. You still can disagree with me Uh, but as long as you maintain some civility and respect for my community, and that's the only two requests that I have. So, but you are most welcome. And you mentioned that you have, uh, the only issue is with the CIA, the FBI, the big banker. I see your point, and you got a point there. There is an issue there. So, but anyway, good to have you here in the chat. Willie Holman, as always. Uh, Lee Yang, good to see you. Taiwan Steel, as always. Bonjour à toi, uh, Truth Seeker, Jérôme Lazarus, good afternoon to you as well. Laval, good to see you. Farid Amal, good to see you from Quebec. I take it you guys in Canada, uh, now you're going to be seeing the policies of the new prime minister. Makes you wonder what lies ahead for Canada. So, uh, Gina, uh, good to see you. HMC, good to see you. Arsenal, good to see you. Hello to you as well. Timeline Dunkley, as always from New York City. AF Gordon, Carlyon, good to have you join us live. I know you busy and so forth. So, uh, Murr Ace, good to see you here. Uh, Trump is— he's on his way to be a dictator. Well, you got a point there, you got a point there. But again, that's people that voted for him, so they have to live with the consequences of their decision. Jennifer Lee, good to see you. All right guys, let's get into our topic. I got— I'm gonna be sharing with you some geography, some history as well, and, uh, I'm gonna start with my headlines. There is, uh, some interesting developments going on around the world I need you to be aware of, and we'll just dive in into our topic. So as I mentioned, for those who just joining us, I will be talking about the meeting between Indonesia, the Foreign Ministry, and the defense of China and Indonesia that met in China recently. That was only a few days ago. The first headline I will be talking about, BRICS finance— foreign ministers, I'm sorry, the meeting that took place in Brazil, because Brazil, it's what's going to be holding the next summit for BRICS. And here is one of the shockers. Don't be surprised, guys. One of the shockers is that the foreign ministers from the BRICS group sort of failed to agree on a joint communiqué. That's not good. That is not good. So, and this one, it highlights the differences within the fast-growing diplomatic bloc. So of course, the chair, which is Brazil, issued a statement sort of condemning the trade protectionism. And in his statements, Brazil said that the group foreign ministers expressed serious concern at the prospects of a fragmented global economy and the weakening of multilateralism, end of quote. I see the point there, but I'm also starting to be very, very concerned as to where BRICS is going without having a fundamental structure. This is again, the fall of BRICS is going to be if they don't create a secretariat that takes care of the policies and implement the policies and force the policies, uh, sort of, or enforce the policies, not force them, rather enforce the policies so the countries who wants to join BRICS are in line with where BRICS is headed. I always give the example of India, nothing against India, but India is like that one that's going to be undermining that. And it's not just India, if you add other countries, you're going to have to know who you inviting. You all remember Saudi Arabia wanted to be part, all of a sudden was pressured by the US to withdraw from the BRICS. Good riddance. So this is why BRICS has to be careful moving forward. Second one has to do with the Ansarullah Houthis. Yes, this is just developed today. So what happened, uh, uh, this one, the Houthis announced today this morning, Friday, that it has carried out a military operation against a second vital Israeli, uh, target in the occupied Haifa area. Houthi military spokesman, uh, Yahya Saree, said the operation in Haifa was carried out with a hypersonic ballistic missile. That's the one you are looking at, at the picture there. And the second in just hours, stressing that the missile and I put this in quote, "successfully reached its target, forcing millions of settlers to flee to shelters," end of quote. And by the way, these pictures that you guys looking at, this one, the Israeli media itself published the photos of attempts to intercept the missile that was launched from Yemen. That's the picture you're looking at. So, uh, I, I can't confirm whether they succeeded in intercepting that or not. I cannot confirm it because I don't know. So the only thing I can confirm is that the statements issued by the Houthis that they announced that the Ramad David base, which is in East Haifa, has been targeted. That means if it has been targeted, that means the Israeli defense system failed to intercept the missile. And that is where the statement says confirmed the Israelis' failure to intercept the missile, according to this statement. So I'll let you, of course, reach your own conclusion regarding this. And I have the article in Arabic language to those who are interested in reading it. I'd be happy post it for you. Uh, the last one I share with you is this one has to do with the King of Jordan. So I posted this for the community But I figured to those who might not have seen the post on the community where usually I post stuff for the community to read up on. So the King of Jordan sort of now is content, if I may use the term, because his country won the exemption from Trump foreign aid cuts. In other words, the cuts we— the aid we provide Jordan will not be impacted. Because as you know, and I did disclose this on many occasions, Jordan receives assurances from Washington that the bulk of its annual funding— yeah, that's the key word— of $1.4 billion will not be affected. You know, I, I, I am, you know, deep down, I do not support sending my own tax dollars to Jordan or any other country for that matter. So, and this is, by the way, US funding to Jordan includes military support, direct budget support. In other words, we are paying the salaries of the government, uh, uh, employees in Jordan. And of course, the kingdom is the second only to Ukraine, Israel and believe it or not, Ethiopia as the countries that benefits from most USA. What are we giving them aid for? Cut it off. It's our tax dollars. So, but at least this gives you an idea now why Jordan is staying silent about what's going on in Gaza. You got the point. So, all right, let's get into our topic here, and I have 3 questions that I wanted to just put out for you guys there to consider. Uh, let me get to the questions right here. I'll share the questions with you right there. So pertaining to the, uh, China-Indonesia topic, I'm gonna be providing you an analysis about. So here is the question, or here are the questions for, for you. Can the US craft a good strategy towards Indonesia? Because what it looks to me now is we don't know what to do. And this is why, uh, that individual, uh, who put the comment first about the title is wrong, whatever, you missed the point. Indonesia has always been dealing with China for over 1,000 years. You misread my title. So that's my point. So the question is, what, what can the US craft a good strategy towards Indonesia? Second question, if this strategy is going to be crafted, what should it consist of? And the third question, how may the changes on the global stage impact the future of US policy towards Indonesia? Of course, you have to keep in mind What have, what have we done in Indonesia back in the '60s and '70s? And I'm going to be talking about the history to provide you during the era of Suharto and what came with after that one. So, so now here is the thing. Yes, I did put that the U.S. on the title that the U.S. failed to keep Indonesia out of Chinese orbit, you know, but again, you have to think from a strategic perspective. That is what— that is not the final title, by the way. I always intend on changing my titles later on, and I have my reasons for that. So now Indonesia and China convened their first— and I'm going to share pictures, I got some pictures with you, for you guys rather, uh, not this one, right here, here we go. Indonesia and China convened their first ever 2+2 ministerial meetings, which means what? 2+2, that means bringing together the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Defense from Indonesia to meet with their counterparts in China. So the Foreign Minister of Indonesia, Subyono, and the Minister of Defense, Safri Shamsuddin. They met with their counterparts, Mr. Wang Yi and Admiral Dong Zhong. That's the one you see in the uniform there. So, and of course, the meeting took place at Diaotai State Guest House. The meeting took place last week. I know I was aware of it. I didn't do the, the analysis back then. I had to cover some other stuff. But I also had my reasons for doing my own readings and research regarding this coming from think tanks in Washington, D.C. before I'll come to you and share with you my own analysis. Of course, one of the things you need to understand about the meeting is that it came, uh, which marking the 75th year anniversary of the diplomatic ties between Indonesia and, and China. And of course comes only one year, which was in 2024. You all remember the visit of Prabowo to China. You all remember that, right? So this comes only one year following the agreement between President Xi and President Prabowo Subianto. So, and their agreement was to strengthen cooperation across 5 pillars. 5. You're looking at politics, meaning geopolitically speaking here. You're looking at economy, people-to-people, that means culture exchange, maritime. This has to do with the South China Sea, given what's going on in Philippines, with the Philippines. And the last one is security. This has to do with regional security. This is what's very, very important. So, so here is what I'm going to do for you. I'm going to do geography, I'm going to do history. You need to understand the history of Indonesia, then I'll move into the analysis part. So, so let me start with the, uh, geography first. And I think I kept a map of Indonesia. Yes, I did. Yeah, it's not as clear. Uh, let me see if I can get another one. Yeah, I have a better one here. Oh, it's almost the same, it's just I'm gonna share it on a screen with you instead of just a photo. And I give credit to, uh, World Atlas for this one here, guys. There we go. Now, what do you think about, uh, uh Indonesia, the archipelago nation of Indonesia. Its location is very, very interesting because it is located just to the north of Australia and of course off to the Southeast Asian mainland between the Pacific and the Indian Oceans. It is placed across the equator and hence is geographically positioned both in the northern and southern hemispheres of the Earth, as well as the eastern hemispheres. That's what makes Indonesia a very, very interesting location. So it is bordered by Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste. It is surrounded by the Indian Ocean in the south, by the Pacific Ocean which is South China Sea in the north, and over a dozen regional areas. Indonesia shares its maritime borders with India, Australia, Palau, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. That's what makes it very, very interesting, uh, understanding the geography of, of, uh, Indonesia. Now I'm gonna deal with— I'm gonna share with you some, uh, brief, uh, uh, content regarding the history, because you need to understand the history of— and I don't know if I have some pictures for you from archives, maybe not. Let me see. No, I don't. But anyway, so now I'm gonna go, and this is brief, guys. I'll provide you the links in the description later on, and you can read up on all that stuff. Should you decide to. Now, one thing you need to know about Indonesia is that it has early kingdoms and empires that stretches back to 300 BCE, before common era, to 1290 CE, common era. So the first ones that, that I came across the record here, it's mentioned that the Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms such as the Tarumanagara and Sri— Srivijaya, which emerged in the Java and the Sumatra. And of course, why is this? Because they were influenced by trade with India at that time. But that is not what I want to focus on. I want to focus from 19— from 1290 through 1527. Why is this important? Because that is where the Majapahit Empire emerged. Why? Because this one was one of the powerful kingdom that united much of modern-day Indonesia and Malaysia. And of course, its main focus was on controlling the trade route. Why is this important? And the reason I'm mentioning, because you need to understand, for example, the Strait of Malacca right now, the South China Sea And you— that makes sense to you why during this time, 1290 through 1527, this empire, the Majapahit Empire, controlled the trade routes. This is one thing China today trying to ensure access to that route. This is why the US is putting more tensions in the South China Sea. Now fast forward to 13th through the 16th centuries. What is important about this is the Islamic influence. Now, there are some records that I found out. It says that the first Islamic influence in Indonesia, in Indonesia, goes back to the 9th century. I couldn't confirm that. The only one I came across— and please, if anybody knows, share with the community. Suffice it to say that The religion of Islam spread through trade networks and eventually becoming the dominant religion in most of Indonesia as of today. And of course, with the exception of one location in India— can anybody tell me which one? There is one location in India that did not fall under the influence of Islam still today. Let me see if you guys know which one I'm referring to in Indonesia. And actually, my good dear friend Carlza lives there. Oh, Samir, you got it, you got it! It is Bali. Uh, uh, Kinyep, you got it! Sangtan, you got it. History Discover, hello to you. You got it, guys, is Bali. That's very, very interesting, very interesting for you to understand. Now, on the third, at the, uh, uh, in 13th century, and as a matter of fact, still in Indonesia, to those who are familiar with the— there is a 13th century tombstone of a local ruler by the name of Sultan Malik al-Saleh, which is located in Sumatra. That's where it is. And this one is often cited as a historical marker of when Islam started to make inroads in the region. That's why I was like torn between was it a 9th century, was it a 13th century? But I couldn't find the confirmation for the 9th century, and I found the 13th. And with this archive, with this archaeological tombstone which dated back to 13th century, it confirmed my— I'm gonna put the link, I'm gonna share the link with you guys in the chat box if you want to read up on this aspect later on. Now, first move to 16th to the 20th century. What is this era known for when it comes down to the history of Indonesia? Does anybody know? 16th through the 20th century, to those who are familiar with the history of— and you guys should have an idea as to what happened in Indonesia during that time. 16th through the 20th century. Uh, okay, I'm starting. It takes a while for this to— there's a delay here. Uh, Nelson Caban, the Dutch. That is correct, you're absolutely correct, specifically the Dutch. But what I was referring to also is the European colonialism. But you are absolutely correct, Matt Backey, there is some role of the Brits, as, as was— as I found into the historical archive. So European colonialism, 16th to the 20th century. And this one marks the arrival of the Europeans, particularly the Dutch, you know, which led to the establishment of the Dutch East Indies and centuries of colonial rule. Now here is one, one, and please, I'm going to just ask you, for your, not answer, but to confirm it. I've read that the Dutch controlled Indonesia for about 350 years. Is that correct? And I do not, I didn't find specific information that can confirm this to be so. But anyway, suffice it to say for now is that what you need to know between the 16th and the 20th century, it marks the European colonialism. Then fast forward to the, uh, the day when Indonesia declared its independence. Does anybody know what year did Indonesia declared its independence? Oh, oh, Sanktan, you say yes, that means there was 350. Thank you for sharing that. What year did, uh, '47. Samir, you're closer, you're closer. Not '47. Uh, no, not '45. Uh, '45, that was during World War II at the time. So, uh, let me see one more try. Uh, King Yip, 1947. No. No, it was Nelson Caban. You got it, 1949. That's when it was, to be exact. And yes, to one of you put a comment about the how brutal the British and the Dutch were, and that is correct. But wait until you know about our role inside Indonesia also. So 1949, of course this followed what between 1945 and 19— 1945 and 1949 of course, following Japanese occupation during World War II. This is where Indonesia declared its independence, which was formally recognized by the Netherlands in 1949. Now, what comes after, uh, the post-independent era? And again, this is very crucial for you to understand. Indonesia's history continued with the incorporation of West Papua and East Timor, which is— which later gained independence. The last one, East Timor, that is. And period of political and economic changes that took place. But there are the key events that have marked Indonesia, and I'm gonna combine both. When you think about natural resources, Indonesia's location a crossroad for trade in addition to its rich natural resources, particularly spices at that time, because now they are known for nickel. Remember the importance of nickel into the current industry and so forth, as well as cultural exchanges at the time. Of course, the Dutch colonialism, which was a company by the name the Dutch East India Company. That one established its dominance in the 17th century, which led into a long period of colonial rule and exploitation. And of course, we can't ignore— I can't ignore the Japanese occupation during World War II. And of course, the Japanese invaded and occupied Indonesia, which fueled the growth of the Indonesian nationalist, uh, movement. That was what led to that. Then comes after that the Indonesian Revolution. So of course, following the Japanese surrender, uh, Sukarno— and I think I have a picture of Sukarno, I hope I kept it. No, guess what, guys, I am sorry. I thought I did. Anyway, Sukarno, the first president. Sukarno declared Indonesia independence, of course, leading to the period for the— by the way, to those who mentioned '45, you were partially right because that's when Sukarno declared the independence. However, it was not recognized or formally recognized till 1949. And any independence, it's not officially till it is recognized— it's not official till it is officially recognized. That is why most historical record goes with 1949, not 1945. So then you have the post-independence. As I mentioned, Indonesia has experienced period of political instability, and that includes the New Order regime under Suharto and the subsequent Reformasi period. So here is what I need you to know, and I had a chance— that was the reason also why I didn't want to talk about this topic earlier, till I, uh, uh, requested some documents under Freedom of Information Act, which you can, by the way, assuming the government will allow you to know this information, uh, and this one became also through some think tanks, and I'm going to provide you a link where some declassified cables were made public. And this one leads me to address to you about what did the United States do in Indonesia. But of course, it was a trove of released documents that confirmed that Washington's role in the country's 1965 massacre was part of a bigger Cold War strategy. I had a chance to read an article by Vincent Bivens, you know, very, very interesting. Actually, I'm gonna, uh, share the link with you if you feel like reading this later on. Very, very interesting. Suffice it to say that in Indonesia in October 1965, Suharto I have a picture of him right here. There's the picture of General Suharto, the official— this is an official swearing-in ceremony. So, uh, and I have another picture of him in 1993. So, so Suharto, a powerful Indonesian military leader at that time, accused of Indonesia— accused the Indonesian Communist Party, PKI, of organizing a brutal coup attempt following the kidnapping and murder of 6 high-ranking army officers. So of course, over the months that followed this one, this, uh, this declaration, he oversaw a systematic, uh, what, what, what, what term do we want to use? Extermination. So Because to those who know the history of Indonesia, you know how many people died during this era. Does that— can anybody tell me what was the number on top of your head if you happen to know? Remember the '60s during Suharto era, approximately how many people were killed? Just, just give a figure. I know it takes a while here to show up. Uh, uh, Carleon, you said 600,000. No, there was more than that. Patrick, you said 3 million. That's too much. Uh, Al Stalokin, you got it. Al Stalokin, about a million. About a million. Yeah. Of course, we played part into that, by the way. So, and the justification was because of the affiliation with the PKI, you know, and not even that. Some of the historical record and the declassified documents indicated that it was simply for being accused of harboring leftist sympathies. So And this is why you have to understand, uh, uh, there is a document. If you can— if you guys can get in into the National Security Archives, which you can access, it's public domain, and you look at the, uh, the doc— the, the National Declassification Center, that's where you find this kind of information about, uh, US, uh, cables that, uh, uh, which covered this dark era in Indonesia. So of course, the newly classified documents further illustrate the horrors that took place in Indonesia in 1965. Mass murders, you know, and we played a role into that. So the US, as you all know, because these documents show that the US officials knew most of the victims were entirely innocent, but we didn't care. So the US Embassy official received update on the executions at that time. So, and because the reason why they did that, so they can suppress the media for not disclosing the information. Because remember how these things work, and I know it's not the right time for me to be talking about the really the big picture of who is behind managing the global order in certain directions. If you only know as to what example, for example, the role of big bankers like BIS, the, the, the, the BIS, the Bank of International Settlements, which is the central bank of these central banks, which is located in Switzerland. If you only know the dark side of what they're planning. And I— maybe one day I'll talk about this somewhere else, but for now, suffice it to say that US officials back then knew about what was going on because we took place into that. And, and some of us, you know, sometimes you have to confront yourself. And, and, and, and if you allow me to say something here, this has nothing to do with this conversation, it has to do with me personally, you know. I went through the governments, I went through certain things, and when it becomes really— this is like, uh, it's not the right direction, you know, and I don't want to be part of this. So what you're going to end up— you realize yourself you are a part of a much bigger dark entity that is going the wrong direction here. So, and that's where it becomes on you to decide, do I remove myself? Which is exactly what I did. Then you're gonna have to do one more thing. You're gonna have to forgive yourself. You can't live in— I can't, you know, yeah, the era that I was in, there were certain aspects that I disagreed with, you know. You know, you do your best, you do your best. Then when you realize decision has to be made, it has to be made. And that's for me. And I speak this just as a side note. I just want, want to put this out there for you to know. Where I stand on this one. And of course, this declassified documents or crucial documents provides sort of insights into the US and Indonesian activities at that time. So because still some is not very, very disclosed. But anyway, I just wanted to talk briefly about this. It's a long— I— it's gonna take me forever to go through all this, but I'm not gonna— I just wanted to highlight to you the dark era of the Suharto and the corruption that existed and the US involvement even in the energy field because we wanted to drain. It's like exactly what we've been doing in some other parts of the world, be it West Asia, be it Africa and Latin America and so forth. It's, it's no different. And this is very crucial for you guys to understand. As a matter of fact, I have, uh, I have a follower in the channel by the name, uh, Ralph Bernard shared this with us, and I'm gonna share it with you. I, I got his permission to share it even though it was posted. Most of you will not see it. And here is what he wrote: figuring out the US foreign policy is actually quite easy. The wish to avoid the unity for marrying in Euro-Asia, West Asia, Africa, South America, East Asia, and everywhere else. That's it. Rome used divide and rule unto others, hidden behind a history of hubris and jingoism. The British Empire used divide and rule unto others, hidden behind a history of hubris and jingoism. The American Century currently uses divide and rule onto others as continuation of a policy and is hiding behind stories of hubris and jingoism. It means to avoid the unity of all others by fabricating dissent which riles up negative emotions globally, which is how the content of this video fits in. As a countermeasure to divide and rule, the world needs to implement a global equilibrium—natural order, that is—as a man-made balance of power, meaning policy, to avoid a few million human beings creating gardens for themselves at the expense of billions of other human beings, like the US collective West has done to the jungles these past 500 years, hiding behind their stories of hubris and jingoism. The powerful use deception to torpedo any attempt of regional, over-regional, global equilibrium covertly Hawks, good cops, neoliberals, global lust, and bad cops, imperialist militarists, hiding behind facades of empires, taking down to the plebs in their bread and circuses. In equilibrium, all well trained to be finger-pointers at their favorite bad guys. This is divide. And rule. End of quote. Thank you very much for sharing this. And this is the type of members of the community we have here, guys. This is what this channel is all about, and I just want you to be aware of it. Liking this video so far? Don't just be a watcher, go ahead and hit the like, share, and subscribe button. And don't forget to tap the bell so you will not miss any of my videos or live streams. This way you will be supporting a channel that stands for the truth and objective reporting. The choice is yours. Thanks for your support. Yeah, that, that was very powerful post, guys. It's, it's, it's right there. It's in response to my video, what of the video. So, all right, let's get into— let's get in. We've been talking for a while, uh, the analysis about this first ever 2+2 ministerial, the Foreign Affairs and the Defense. So, and again, you have to understand the importance of this because when you look at Indonesia, you know, because Indonesia, like some other regional countries do have a growing geopolitical importance. And this is why the US, we don't know what to do as of now, because there is no strategy when it comes down to Indonesia. We were trying to pull Indonesia our directions, but again, we failed because we didn't understand the history of Indonesia. We were able to influence it back in the '60s, but things have changed. And when you think about Indonesia now, Indonesia today, with its production of critical minerals and an economy that is sort of expected to grow even bigger, it makes more sense as to why you see now Indonesia becoming almost the, the center of gravity when it comes down to the 21st century between China and the US, you know. And because Chinese understood this aspect, so did we, so we did as well, except that Chinese had a strategy, we did not. Their strategy was based on economy, infrastructure, joint ventures. Our strategy is based on fomenting tensions, creating divisions. Which one do you think country is going to go with? But at least on both sides, the Chinese and the Americans understand the importance, the strategy in the Indo-Pacific. And this is why Americans are lost in understanding how to sort of deal with not only Indonesia, but the rest of Southeast Asia. Because you look at, for example, in Indonesia now, with its infrastructure profile. And of course, to those who do not know, Indonesia depended heavily on Japan before— still to a degree, but that era is gone. When you think about the nickel industry, which is very, very important to the US industries, so, so, because like I said earlier, Indonesia has always depended on Japan to a degree for the infrastructure. But things have changed now. This is very, very, very, very changing. And especially when you consider this meeting between the foreign policy and the defense together, because we're looking at a policy aspect, meaning geopolitically, and we're looking at the defense, which means security, maritime, that is. It's because Indonesia also has its own concerns, especially about the exclusive economic zone in none other than north of Natuna. To those who are familiar with Indonesia, you know what I'm talking about here. And if you look at the history of Indonesia, just moving forward to the last few years, for example, where they stand, the Indonesia, where they stand vis-à-vis how they see the US double standards regarding American policy towards West Asia, Middle East, that is, towards Iraq when we did the invasion, towards Afghanistan, Gaza, Yemen. And you can see where Indonesia stands. And this is why you have to, to put this within the context of what this meeting holds, the meaning of it. Here is what Mr. Wan Yi said And I'm going to share a quote with you. I want to just put a picture during the meeting between the two delegations. This is Mr. Wang Yi right here raising his left hand. What Mr. Wang Yi said is that China— and listen carefully because the words are very measured— China and Indonesia are friendly neighbors facing each other across the sea and close friends. With a shared culture. This is why I said earlier, I know some misunderstood when I put the term orbits. You have to think very far. Of course, the history of Indonesia and China goes way back. I am talking about contemporary time, the current geopolitical landscape. We are trying to pull Indonesia out of China's orbit, but we are not succeeding. And this is again when you consider also the meeting that took place within the context of, uh, right here between, uh, Prabowo and President Xi past year, jointly outlined the blueprint for the development of China-Indonesia relations in the new era. That is the key word. Of course they're always friends. Is the same word Mr. Xi used when he was in Malaysia regarding the state dinner, that China and Malaysia have friendly relations and they go way back. The same concept applies to Indonesia. And this is again because— why is this? Because they, meaning Chinese and Indonesians in this wanted to build a community with shared future— shared future, another key word— between the two countries to a new level. What a new level are we talking about? We're talking about the new level of the multipolar order. We're talking about the new level of the New Global Economic Order. We're talking about the new level of the global— new global financial system. And that's again, when you think about this word uttered by Mr. Wang Yi, it makes perfect sense. And there is— here is also one key that I need you to understand. This is the first time ever a foreign minister and defense from one country met with their counterparts from another country. So, so when you think about the Foreign and the Defense Ministerial Dialogue mechanism, which was, by the way, established by China globally. And this one fully highlight the degree of the strategic thinking, the strategic vision, and the strategic mutual trust between those two countries. And this is again Why you have to understand, maybe the reason why Mr. Xi— oh, President Xi, I'm sorry, President Xi— did not make the trip to Indonesia, because he wanted to leave it separately from the other trips. That doesn't make Indonesia better than other countries or vice versa. No, those are calculated moves, strategic thinking. And now at least I got my answer. Because this is— when I did my reading about all this, I got the answer why President Xi did not include Indonesia in the trip he did to Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia. So it became clear, and the understanding is that, uh, uh, for the two countries, Indonesia and, and, and China, wanted sort of to further enshrine this understanding, this connotations of the Indonesian-Chinese community with a shared future, with the regional and global influence. Why is this important? You got the two keywords: regional and global. Because regional is because Southeast Asia, ASEAN countries, are the key that's going to be the major shaker of the global economy. In addition to BRICS, if BRICS plays its cards right. Why global? Is the global influence because of what Indonesia has to offer, from its natural resources to its strategic location or geographical location. And this is why you have to understand why Mr. Wang Yi stated this, the timely, uh, uh, sort of argument regarding China and Indonesia. Ah, some major storms passing through here. Yeah. Mr. Wanier also added that the two sides should take the important common understanding reached between the two heads of state as the strategic guidance, in a reference to what? Long term. They're not talking about next year. They're talking about the next 15, 20 years. And like I post in the community, you know, when I did the, uh, about how other countries are rebuilding themselves, their infrastructure, restructuring their, their education system, restructuring their financial and tax systems, while we have corrupt leaders in the Congress still talking about nonsense. You know, it's because our system is corrupted to its core. It's a reality that we can't, we can't, we can't sugarcoat it. You have to say it the way it is. So this is what's important. So, and of course, all this highlighted Mr. Wani's argument that the world— and I couldn't agree more with his assessment. He's one of those very, very well-measured statesman. You know, there are only few in the world. As a matter of fact, very limited. I can count them on the tip of my fingers. So, uh, I couldn't agree, Mr.— I couldn't agree more with Mr. Wang Yi regarding where the world is going and how the world is undergoing a transformation and seeing for a long time, for almost a century. What you need to understand about this aspect is that within a century, there are a lot of changes that comes, especially in the financial world. And this is exactly what we're going through right now. That's a conversation for another day. I'll deal with it. But you need to understand why Mr. Wan He stated this. So, and Because you have now the impact of the unilateralism. Another word, a negative impact. Unilateralism doesn't work anymore. The system is not sustainable. Hegemonism, or hegemony, that is for the US to still want to be the, the hegemon of the world, won't work anymore. Because the world has changed. Even the human society that has once come to some sort of— because it is right now. We came at crossroads about 85 years ago, and now we are at another crossroads. And this is again where you see this strategic vision of both countries, Chinese and the Indonesians, as to where they want to move forward. But here is the interesting aspect as to the timing of the meeting, because this year marks what? The 80th anniversary of the victory of the PR— of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and of course, and the World Anti-Fascist War. It also marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, even though you and I know United Nations is toothless, can't do squat. And there is one major one, and this one has to do with the 70th anniversary of the Bandung Conference. You all know what this is. You all know what the Bandung Conference is ready— is all about. It's because it was always ready to carry out further level of strategic cooperation, at least between China and Indonesia. And as a matter of fact, Mr. Wang Yi made it clear that both countries, Indonesia and China, jointly promote the 5 principles of a peaceful coexistence and the Bandung Bandung spirit. And if you know the core principles of the Bandung, I'm sorry, the Bandung Conference: 1, political self-determination; 2, mutual respect for sovereignty; 3, non-aggression; 4, non-interference in internal affairs; and 5, equality. And this is why it's very, very important to highlight to you why this makes strategic sense as to where both countries, China and Indonesia, moving while the US is struggling now to come up with a strategy, a policy, a way of wooing Indonesia back. I don't think so we're going to succeed. Indonesia also had to think for itself. So here is another aspect, uh, or another part of this speech, but this is not from Mr. Wan Yi, this is from Admiral Dong Zhang. And I'm going to show a picture of him. He's right here on the right side of the picture, Admiral Dunja. It is what he said. His argument is that in recent years— and of course when he say recent years, he's also referring to last year. Why? Because of the strategic guidance of both leaders, Prabowo of Indonesia and President Xi Jinping of China. And under this strategic guidance, both China and Indonesia have now continuously deepened and substantiated defense relations. That is a heavy word. It's not a word that is used loosely. When you substantiate defense relations, that has a lot of meaning because this is going to be setting a model for military cooperation between China and not only Indonesia, ASEAN. The only question I have about that, will Philippines be included in that? I have my doubts. But the other aspect that Admiral Dong Jun stated was the safeguarding the regional security and stability. And I am certain he was referring, without stating the word Philippines, he's referring to the Philippines for how it's allowing itself to be pushed by the United States over a cliff by creating tensions with China regarding the maritime disputes. Indonesia also has some grievances regarding South China Sea, but they are working with the Chinese behind closed doors. Vietnam has some also claims to the South China Sea, but they are working behind closed doors. Philippines end up being the weak one that's being used. And this is, I bet you this, guys, Admiral Donjon stated this for this specific reason. Because what led me to conclude this is his following statements when he argued that, and I quote, "At present, the international situation is characterized by changes and chaos, and the region is facing multiple challenges," end of quote. Again, at this level, officials have only used the well-measured word and let the message take its own course. This is the art of what diplomacy is all about. This is something we don't have anymore. I wish my country has some very well-qualified statesmen, well-qualified officials, well-qualified diplomats. Unfortunately, we don't. And when you consider his argument that the deepening of the defense And security cooperation between the two countries, Indonesia and China, will certainly provide strong support for the building of China-Indonesia community, and a community that is not stripped from a joint shared future for both regional and global influence. This is what you need to understand about why I wanted to do this, is to highlight to you that strategies are not born out of thin air. Strategies are well thought out. Strategies are well sort of, uh, uh, conversed about, meeting face to face, being honest, being open into the conversations. You don't smile to the person and stab him or her in the back. This is what's important. Let's, uh, let me share with you what the Foreign Minister of Indonesia, Sugiyono, said. And one of his arguments is that this dialogue, this meeting, is an important milestone in bilateral relations which demonstrates the all-around high-level and strategic nature of Indonesia's relations with China. Once again, just this sentence tells you everything you need to know about how both countries wanted to forge this long-term vision, this long-term trajectory that will benefit both countries and the region for that matter. So, but what I found very interesting beside him talking about the idea of how the region, and the world for that matter, the turbulence that exists, the instability, the double standards of our own foreign policy and so forth. What I found very interesting is his statements that when he disclosed the following, and I'm going to quote it for you as is, when he stated that Indonesia firmly pursues The One China policy believes that the Taiwan question and issues related to Xinjiang and Hong Kong are China's internal affairs and opposes any external interference. End of quote. Uh, let me show a picture of the foreign minister. Is right here with Mr. Wan Yi. This is Subyono. I found this very, very interesting because Indonesia wanted to make it clear, and Indonesia wasn't speaking on behalf of ASEAN, because you remember what Philippines just stated about 4 weeks ago, that we will stand to support Taiwan. And that tells you right there that they were provided the script from the United States to say it because that statement came right after the visit of the Defense Secretary to Manila. Indonesia wants to make it clear as to where they stand. The Defense Minister of Indonesia, Safri Samshuddin, said that his argument was The current situation here right now is that the military relations between Indonesia and China are developing with the— here's the key word— sound momentum. Let me see if I can get a picture of him. I have one here that is clear. This is the defense minister, the last one on the left of the picture. This is, uh, Zafar Samshuddin. So, because why is this? And he provide his reason, his rationale for this, because he's saying that, and I quote here, Indonesia is willing to do the following: one, strengthen strategic dialogue with China. You know what it means? That means we are thinking about the next 30, 40, 50 years. Two, deepen strategic mutual trust. That means what? Meaning we're gonna have to work out our differences for the long haul. 3, uphold the principles of respecting each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Of course, that's a reference to South China Sea, especially in North Natuna. So 4, continuously tap into the potential, enhance cooperation in a field such as defense and maritime security. 5, safeguard regional peace and stability. That means they won't want to allow foreign interference, interference in the region, nor will they allow any country in the region— of course they're going to have to deal with that, like in the case of Philippines. It's not China that's going to get involved in this, is Indonesia, because Philippines is part of ASEAN. Indonesia is part of ASEAN. 6, jointly address global challenges, and this one pertains to the tariffs, security, and supply, uh, supply chain. And the last one has to do with promoting and continued in-depth development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. And if this is, guys, it's not loud enough to tell you where these countries are headed, then I don't know what else that would convince you of that. So this is how, how I see, uh, this moving forward. So now there is one aspect that I need you to understand, and if we are to go back to the time when, uh, what's his name Joko Widodo, the former president of Indonesia. You have to understand the history here also. So because the importance of that, it's to understand how he's approaching dealing with US policies, because they will never in favor of how the US is moving forward, you know. I had a chance to read an article, I remember, by Dr. Dewi Fortuna Anwar. She's a professor, a research professor at the Research Center for Politics, National Research and Innovation Agency in Jakarta. So as a matter of fact, on my reach out to her and invite her here. So, and, and I could not— I couldn't argue more with her assertions because history is important. Because if you— to understand Indonesia's position, you have to understand its history. So, and, and just go back to the 1955, as she argued, and I couldn't agree more. 1955, what happened in 1955? Indonesia hosted the first Asian-African conference, which was what? The Bandung Conference. And there the issue of none other than what's going on right now in Gaza came to the forefront, meaning the issue of independence of Palestine, the self-determination that is. So, and this is why you are seeing where Indonesia stands on the issue today and is wary of US double standards when it comes down to dealing with these issues. So, and they have been arguing ever since for the really the need for this independence for the Palestinian state. This is why Indonesia, your largest Muslim country the largest fourth populous, or the fourth populous country in the world. So to China, it's a strategic move, you know. Uh, just to go back to Jokowi, because I was going to say something about that. Uh, regarding Jokowi, his argument has always during his tenure. And I remember, and I criticized some of his sort of shortcomings. But again, it's not to be just a negative one. No, no, no, no, no. It's just to provide both sides of the arguments. You know, that, that's to me important. And that's why, even for us in our community, guys, I have no problem. Of course I have no problem with those who will disagree with me, you are entitled to that. It's just when somebody just state that I will remove comments, whatever, just because I didn't like what you wrote, then you are wrong. You know, I will challenge you on certain things because in differences, that's how we learn. So to go back to the, uh, Jokowi here, because I need to say something quickly here about it. And we're almost at the top of the hour here, so where time goes. As I said, when you consider, for example, Djuković tried, believe it or not, to push for peace in Ukraine. Yeah, this might surprise you, you know. And as a matter of fact, if you look at the history, Djuković was sort of— he's the one who met with 4 entities. He met with President Xi Jinping, he met with, with, with the former President Biden, he met with Putin, and he met with the comedian Zelensky. So, and this is to highlight to you how Indonesia wanted to always maintain its open diplomacy. Open diplomacy, not just with those countries, but even with country like Iran. So, and has been very critical— Indonesia has been very critical, uh, for some of the United States policies, uh, uh, uh, and security initiatives like the one we witnessed in that part of the world with AUKUS, US, Australia, and UK. So And speaking of Iran, what I'm thinking about it, the Donald Trump now posted asking China to stop completely import oil from Iran. Who the heck are you to dictate to where countries can bring or buy their oil from? So, and this is what I want, and I'm gonna end up here, uh, close up here, guys. This is where I need you to understand the really the geostrategic location, the geo-economic, geostrategic location of Indonesia that makes it a key player. Yeah, and China is betting on the long term because China understand that the world has already shifted to a multipolar, that the global economy is not going to rest in the United States, but rather in Asia, and that Southeast Asia with the lead of Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and others, it's going to play a major role regarding the supply chain that's going to strengthen the economic front in Asia writ large. This is why Asia— I'm sorry, Indonesia is one of the key when it comes down to the trajectory of the future of the geopolitical order, that is. We understand that, except we don't have a cohesive strategy to deal with this because our interest has always been in fomenting tensions instead of building relations, long-term partnerships with other countries. So here's the thing, Indonesia understand As a matter of fact, if I am to say the whole Southeast Asia, give or take, I don't include Philippines into this argument because it's— they don't think in those terms. When I say they, I'm referring to the Marcos, you know, maybe a new leadership might be, but for now I stated as is. What do you think about Southeast Asia? Because we are not looking at them based on what they have to offer. We are not looking at them based on merit, if I may use the term. We are looking at them in terms of how we can use them, but not in a bilateral way. It's just what we can get from them. That's it. And that's no way, even in human relations. Are you gonna deal with someone who will just take advantage of you? You're gonna say to them, get lost, we're done. And also there is the other challenge is that we are betting, we in Washington, betting on ensuring that Indonesia sort of can work indirectly to undermine China on our behalf. What makes us think that? What makes us think that Indonesia is going to go that route? So This is where the problem is. Southeast Asia, and Indonesia included in this, does not want to be taken for granted because we— that's how we approach countries. No, you can't. The world has changed. Southeast Asia is huge, is big. It will have its influence on the global stage whether we like it or not, let alone its strategic location. And that's one of the challenges that we are not able to understand so we can form a cohesive and sort of well-thought-out policy. It's just we don't, we don't understand this part of the world as we ought to be. And this is part of where this problem— so, so basically, if I am to think in terms of what Indonesia is seeing with China versus what Indonesia is seeing with the US. They are saying to themselves, they Indonesians saying, hey, we look at China treating us very nice, very kind, and with consistency, something we don't see with the Americans. And we are collaborating in joint ventures economically. And like I always say, what is the best way to uplift your people. Economics— look at now here in the US, we're already entering into recession. Of course the media staying mum about it. It's because the big glo— the players, the control, the way they have their own. And once again, I will talk to you about this one at some point. It behooves us to at least have an honest dialogue with not only Indonesia, but any country for that matter. But unfortunately, we can't. It's not in our DNA. All we think about is greed. You know, you look at it just in our relations here, human, because even culturally speaking, we are not where we ought to be. You know, we don't teach even in classrooms, we don't teach students about the world. About other cultures to understand. The world doesn't have to revolve around you. So if we can at least have an honest dialogue, those countries might start to think instead of dragging them into more tensions. Look what we're doing right now in Africa. Why do you think is happening in Africa? Coincidence? No. No, by no means, because you still have corrupt leaders in Africa that we have under our thumb. It's the same argument I can make about Southeast Asia with Philippines in this case. So, but Indonesia is jumping on the right, uh, the right train, the right wagon, if I use the term. So, so the, the, the they're going to prosper. They're going to prosper moving forward because it's the— you know, as I said, we are at a crossroads where things will have to change whether we like it or not. We, we come into that end of that here. So anyway, guys, that's all I have to share with you. I am glad you were able to join me here. Army with Harmony, I want to say thank you for buying me tea in support of my upcoming Asia trip. I'm very, very thankful to you for your, you know, man, you've been supporting the channel from the get-go, so, and I'm very, very grateful. I want you to know how grateful I am. Francis Tango, as always, another one, much appreciate you, Francis. You, you, you've been an avid supporter and I'm very thankful to you. You wrote, Dr. O, uh, VOC is not an occupying army in Indonesia, VOC is a company, you see, bankrupt, take over the Dutch government until the beginning of the colony. Thank you so much for sharing this. A lot— there's a lot of history about Indonesia that I had a chance to read one time. Uh, it was part of a book about the, the dark— what we've done in Indonesia. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. Thank you very much, Francis. And, uh, uh, Chica Boom. Thank you so much for your, uh, support. Uh, you put Indonesia is part of BRICS. Are they, uh, India? Yes, it is. Uh, there are many people are saying, uh, you can replace the I of Iran— of, I'm sorry, of India with either Iran or Indonesia. I do see the role of Indonesia far better than the role of, of India in BRICS. In BRICS, that's what I'm talking about. Because Indonesia has something to bring to the— India could also, but India is so fragmented, is so— the policymakers there are so focusing on the nationalism more so than addressing the welfare of the average Indian citizen. Because Indian people like you and I, they deserve better. So when I criticize India, I'm not talking about the people, I'm talking about the system. It's like what I do with my own government, because our system now needs to change. Our system is corrupted to its core and has reached its— it's— that's it, is the end. So anyway, guys, I want to say thank you. Oh, I forgot to share the link for those who wants to support my upcoming Asia trip. And speaking of that, while I'm thinking about it, I do have a picture, of where we are as far as the, uh, fundraising. We are about 12%, so, uh, we have a long way to go. But like I said to you guys last time, if we don't reach this, uh, target number, then I'm still gonna go. Doesn't matter now, whatever, I'm still gonna go. It's just I won't be able to do what I'm planning on doing. So you're looking at certain locations that I wanted to be there physically and see with my own eyes and report to you. So, so far that's where we are. We have about 4 months to go, and I would greatly appreciate if you can support the, the Asia trip. Also, if you want to support the channel, here is the link, and I'm very, very grateful to you. As always, remember, geopolitics impact your daily life in more ways than one. Till next time, guys. Bye-bye.