INDONESIANS DEBATE ASIAN REGIONAL ARCHITECTURE,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 002013

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP, EAP/CM
NSC FOR D.WALTON

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/08/2019
TAGS: PREL ID CH XC
SUBJECT: INDONESIANS DEBATE ASIAN REGIONAL ARCHITECTURE,
CHINA'S ROLE

Classified By: DCM Ted Osius, reasons 1.4 (b+d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Two recent foreign policy conferences in
Jakarta showed Indonesian's ongoing reappraisal of Asian
regional architecture and anxiety over China's sometimes
heavy handed approach to regional diplomacy. The events also
demonstrated Indonesians' interest in a strong U.S. role in
Asian regional institutions and the increasing influence of
Indonesian democracy on the country's foreign policy. END
SUMMARY.

INDONESIAN PRIORITIES


2. (U) Discussions during two recent foreign policy and
defense conferences in Jakarta highlighted the reappraisal of
regional issues going on in Indonesia. Newly appointed
Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa used the late November
meeting of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia
Pacific (CSCAP) to outline key priorities for Indonesian
foreign policy. He noted that ASEAN needs to do more to
deliver on goals and not just produce documents and plans of
action. Otherwise, ASEAN risks a growing disconnect and
cynicism. Indonesia also wanted the United States to remain
engaged in the region. Natalegawa said that Indonesia's
foreign police will continue to focus on a "zero enemy,
thousand friends" stance aimed at positive relations with
virtually all partner nations.


3. (SBU) Natalegawa said that although Southeast Asia would
remain the core of Indonesian foreign policy, Jakarta looked
to have an impact on a wider global stage. The G20 could, he
speculated, become a forum for handling non-economic matters.
He also explained that Indonesia's domestic politics,
particularly the increasing strength of the country's
democratic institutions, was shaping foreign policy. This
will result in policies that will increasingly promote human
rights and good governance abroad. Democracy also requires
Indonesian leaders to focus on foreign policy issues of
interest to the public, such as greater protections for
Indonesian workers overseas.

SOME ANGST ABOUT CHINA


4. (C) Anxiety about China's sometimes heavy-handed approach
to regional diplomacy, and Indonesian wariness of it, was
also on display at CSCAP. Chinese Ambassador to ASEAN Xue
Hanqin used the forum to deliver an historically questionable
speech about China's positive contributions to the region.
She stressed Beijing's commitment to multilateralism and said
China was largely responsible for peace and stability in
Asia. In a not so veiled swipe at the United States,
Ambassador Xue said China sought to bring Asian countries
together to counter outside influences. Citing time
constraints, the Indonesian moderator cut short her
presentation.


5. (C) During the subsequent discussion, Indonesian
participants evinced a good deal of skepticism toward Xue's
claims. Some observers called it "revisionist history" and
one said it sounded like the Chinese were trying to form
their own version of the WWII-era Japanese "Greater East
Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere." Indonesians, whose democratic
political culture places great value on diversity, were
clearly uncomfortable with the overtones of the Chinese
presentation.

LOOKING TO THE UNITED STATES


6. (C) Indonesian anxieties about China and comfort with the
United States were on display during a conference marking the
tenth anniversary of the Habibie Center, a leading think
tank. Much of the discussion focused on democracy given the
role former President B.J. Habibie, founder of the center, in
Indonesia's democratic transformation. Chinese Ambassador to
Indonesia Zhang Qiyue joined the discussion to claim that
China too was a democracy. Beijing's "liberation" of Tibet
from feudal theocracy as one example of Beijing's alleged
commitment to democracy, she asserted.


7. (C) Zhang's message did not resonate. Two Americans on
the panel, former USG official Paul Wolfowitz and academic
Bridget Welsh, pushed back on the democracy theme. They
noted that democratic reforms in Indonesia, the Philippines,

JAKARTA 00002013 002 OF 002


South Korea and Taiwan over the past several decades had
dramatically changed the regional landscape. Wolfowitz said
that democracy had to evolve in a manner consistent with a
country's culture and traditions. Indonesia's democratic
transition demonstrated that this was possible, thereby
undercutting the argument that "Asian values" were
incompatible with allegedly Western-style democracy. Welsh
echoed this point and noted the increasing influence of
Indonesian civil society groups in pushing the GOI to take a
more assertive line on democracy promotion abroad. Both
agreed that the United States was a critical partner in
promoting democratic development in Asia--a message the
Indonesian audience welcomed.


HUME