Germany and Indonesia on Monday agreed to step up defense cooperation and plan joint military exercises with other countries in the region. The German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius spoke of deepening ties during a meeting with Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta, “We have discussed a potential deal on some submarines. ‘We already talked about two minesweepers that are heading to Indonesia,’ said Pistorius.
Germany and Indonesia are also planning joint military exercises with other regional partners, but details have not been released. The two ministers will attend the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s annual defense and security forum in Singapore, while US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Saturday that China’s “bullying” in the Indo-Pacific region, including tensions over Taiwan and the South China Sea and coercion”.
Mr Pistorius said on Sunday that Germany was determined to contribute to peace and security in the region. “And we are ready to ramp up our efforts in the years to come,” Pistorius said.
Subianto said at a forum on Saturday that the security situation in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly in East Asia, has been marked by tensions created by China’s rise to power in a world long dominated by the United States. “History teaches that tensions arise when rising powers meet with preeminent world powers, and the historical record shows that many of these conflicts result in open and dynamic conflicts. However, some have suggested that this rivalry has evolved into a new conflict. cold war. It’s called Cold War II,” Subianto said. Chinese Defense Minister General Li Sangfu told the conference that the United States has “deceived and exploited” countries in the Asia-Pacific region to advance its interests and maintain its “dominant position.”
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