Indonesian President Joko Widodo (centre) inspects troops during his visit to a military base in the Natuna Islands. File photo: Indonesian Presidential Office via AP
South China Sea: Why costly weapons alone can’t help Indonesia tackle China’s ‘grey-zone coercion’
- Jakarta is set to spend US$125 billion on new weapons, but it faces a range of challenges to modernise its military amid maritime dispute with Beijing in the Natunas
- Indonesia, however, has to tread carefully given its economy depends on China and in a sign of balancing act, it continues to do defence drills with both the US and the Asian power
Indonesian President Joko Widodo (centre) inspects troops during his visit to a military base in the Natuna Islands. File photo: Indonesian Presidential Office via AP