US-China tensions heighten terror threat in Indonesia, experts warn
- The focus on Beijing’s treatment of Uygur Muslims, and the expansion of its investment in Indonesia, are tapping into negativity towards the Chinese
- With fake news on the spread of communism also gaining traction, analysts warn that these fault lines are at risk of being exploited by terror groups
Hamli, director of deradicalisation at Indonesia’s National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT), who spoke at a Wednesday webinar titled “US-China rivalry and its global and national impact on terrorism”, said reports of Beijing’s treatment of Uygurs would motivate people to “commit terrorist acts” in Indonesia as a show of solidarity against the oppression of fellow Muslims.
His fellow speaker Anak Agung Banyu Perwita, professor of international relations at Indonesia’s President University, said Chinese workers at the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park could be targeted and the Indonesian government “should be on alert for that”.
Said Hamli: “The same goes for the US. If the US persecutes Muslims, then Westerners in Indonesia will be threatened by terrorists. The [US-China] rivalry in the Indo Pacific has had a big impact on Indonesia.”