The nation's foreign and defence ministers were in Jakarta on Friday for talks with their Indonesian counterparts to seek greater political and military cooperation days after a joint navy drill.

China and Indonesia should "seize the moment," Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in introductory remarks.

"The current international situation is intertwined and complex. Unilateralism and hegemonic acts bring serious impact on global cooperation and stability," he said.

"China actively aims to build China-Indonesia cooperation at a high level."

The two countries pledged to cooperate across multiple areas – from artificial intelligence, defence and rail transport to green energy, satellites and fisheries.

The talks marked "an important milestone in our bilateral relations," Indonesia's foreign minister Sugiono said.

"It serves as a forward-looking strategic platform, guiding our bilateral partnership across all five pillars – political, economic, maritime, people to people and security."

On the agenda was the inaugural meeting of what's being called a "China-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Dialogue Mechanism".

Among other things, it is meant to boost "the alignment of development strategies", Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said ahead of Wang's visit.

Wang was joined by Defence Minister Dong Jun in talks with Indonesia on "political security and defence cooperation and international and regional situations", according to Beijing.

Last year, Jakarta joined the Brics bloc of emerging economies that includes Russia and China.

Resource-rich Indonesia, a US$1.4 trillion G20 economy, has vast deposits of nickel, tin, copper, gold and bauxite and is the world's largest exporter of palm oil and of thermal coal, with China among its top buyers.

China dominates investment in Indonesia's nickel processing sector, but recent policy changes, including on exports and tighter mining quotas, have pushed some companies to seek alternatives in other places.

Dong was greeted on Friday by a military honour guard as he arrived for talks with his Indonesian counterpart Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin. (AFP & Reuters)



Edited by Edmond Fong