Rowing between two reefs: Why Indonesia won't pick a side
Drilling with the Pentagon in the west while exercising with Beijing in the east isn’t Indonesia playing a double game, it’s a masterclass in surviving between two superpowers without answering to either.
Indonesia's strategy of engaging both the United States and China simultaneously is not a double game, but rather a strategic survival tactic in a superpower-dominated region. Last week, over 4,700 troops from Indonesia, the United States, and 19 other partners participated in the Super Garuda Shield 2026 exercise, showcasing the country's largest and most complex joint military operation.
This event, spanning jungle warfare, live fire exercises, naval maneuvers, and cyber and space operations, has grown from a modest 2006 bilateral drill to include partners from Australia to Germany.
Washington has noted that the two countries now conduct more than 170 joint military activities annually. In a separate, yet parallel development, Indonesian frigate KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai, returning from exercises in Russia, conducted a series of exercises with the Chinese frigate Honghe. Beijing referred to this as the first such exercise in those waters, while Jakarta maintained it was routine.
Earlier, Indonesia held its second 2+2 dialogue with China, where foreign and defense ministers from both nations discussed deepening military, maritime, and technology cooperation. This comes after the People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command is scheduled to return to Jakarta and Banten for Heping Garuda, the second edition of the first-ever Indonesia-China disaster relief exercise, launched in December 2024.
These activities, all taking place in the same month, underscore Indonesia's free and active foreign policy doctrine of bebas-aktif. While the US has a dense and legalized partnership with Indonesia, Indonesia's relationship with China is less symmetrical. This dual engagement is not inconsistency, but rather a deliberate practice of maintaining active relations with both superpowers without answering to either, reflecting Indonesia's strategic autonomy in regional politics.
Written by urgent.news from The Jakarta Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
