“A loss for Human Rights”: with Eye on China, US Opens Its Arms to Indonesia’s Prabowo

South China Morning Post

07 October 2020

This article also appeared in Liberty Times Net (Taiwain),

The United States has lifted its 20-year ban on Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto over alleged human rights abuses, which some experts see as an attempt to balance China’s growing military and economic influence in Southeast Asia’s largest country. Experts say the move is aimed at balancing China’s power in Southeast Asia.

Reaching out to Prabowo was a way for the US to balance China’s influence, to ensure Indonesia did not move “too far to China’s side”, said Dr Alex Arifianto of the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

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Last updated on 09/10/2020