Jokowi urges 'concrete action' from Albanese to ease US-China rivalry

Indonesia was critical when the Morrison administration announced in 2021 it had teamed with the US and Britain to form AUKUS, under which Australia would acquire nuclear-powered submarines. Jakarta feared the submarine deployment would further stoke military build-up in the Indo-Pacific and undermine nuclear non-proliferation agreements. The Albanese government has doubled down on the AUKUS commitment, but it has also repeatedly reassured Indonesia, and Malaysia which had similar reservations, that the submarines would be nuclear-powered, not nuclear-armed. The pact would in no way challenge the power of regional bloc ASEAN, the government has insisted. Mr Widodo has accepted this explanation….