[Answered] Analyze the challenges and opportunities in leveraging India-Indonesia relations to address regional issues such as maritime security, trade, and Chinese influence.

India and Indonesia are two of the largest and most strategically positioned nations in the Indo-Pacific, sharing historical ties, a commitment to regional stability, and aspirations for greater global influence. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s visit to India signifies an evolving dynamic aimed at creating a broader, more strategic partnership that could address critical regional challenges like maritime security, trade, and Chinese influence.

Challenges

• Economic Dependence on China: Indonesia’s deep economic ties with China, including through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), limit its ability to align fully with India’s strategic stance on China.
• Underutilized Trilateral Partnerships: Existing trilateral frameworks involving India, Indonesia, and countries like Australia or Japan lack substantive content and need operationalization to make a tangible impact.
• ASEAN-Centric Neutrality: Indonesia’s leadership in ASEAN often results in prioritizing consensus-driven, neutral approaches, which can clash with India’s more assertive Indo-Pacific vision.
• Piracy and Illegal Activities: Both nations face challenges in securing vast maritime territories in the Indian Ocean and the Malacca Strait, key to regional and global trade.
• Naval Infrastructure Gaps: Both countries need enhanced naval capacities to effectively manage shared maritime concerns, including piracy, illegal fishing, and smuggling.

Opportunities

• Alignment of Visions: India’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and Indonesia’s Global Maritime Fulcrum (GMF) converge on ensuring maritime stability.
• Joint Commitments: Indonesia’s support for the maritime resources pillar of India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) creates opportunities for collaborative projects to enhance maritime domain awareness and promote sustainable resource management.
• Diversifying Trade Portfolios: Expanding trade beyond palm oil to sectors such as IT services, pharmaceuticals, and machinery can reduce dependency on China-dominated supply chains.
• Economic Partnerships: Indonesia’s BRICS membership opens avenues for the two countries to collaborate on strategic economic frameworks, leveraging their shared interests in creating alternative global trade mechanisms.
• Energizing Trilateral Frameworks: India, Indonesia, and Australia can expand trilateral cooperation by operationalizing agreements on maritime security and trade.
• ASEAN and BIMSTEC Synergies: Including Indonesia in BIMSTEC could strengthen regional connectivity, integrating India’s eastern neighborhood with Southeast Asia.

Conclusion

India and Indonesia, driven by Prabowo’s vision for greater strategic autonomy and Modi’s aspirations for a rules-based Indo-Pacific, are well-positioned to address regional challenges. By leveraging platforms like BRICS, IPOI, and trilateral partnerships, and focusing on areas of convergence, the two nations can build a robust partnership.