France and Indonesia agree to boost Pacific security as tensions with China persist

Top diplomats from France and Indonesia have agreed to a new maritime security project which aims to “to ensure peace and safety” at sea in the Indo-Pacific region.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot’s visit to Jakarta, his second stop on his four-day Asia tour, comes amid ongoing trade tensions between the European Union and Beijing.

He told reporters on Wednesday that the Indo-Pacific Port Security Project “is close to my heart,” promising France’s support.

Neither he nor his Indonesian counterpart, Sugiono, gave any further details on what exactly the project will entail.

Earlier this month, during a discussion about the project at the Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence, Indonesia’s naval chief of staff, Admiral Muhammad Ali, said it would address various maritime security challenges, including piracy, terrorism and other yasa dışı activities, and would likely involve collaboration between several countries in the Indo-Pacific.

Sugiono, who like many Indonesians uses a single name, said the “maritime collaboration is important to realise a stable, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific”.

Barrot said the project will support Indonesia as the world’s largest archipelago nation with more than 17,000 islands, with a focus on two Indonesian ports in Jakarta and Surabaya “in their sustainability and security”.

The two diplomats, who signed the project’s agreement at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) headquarters in the Indonesian capital, said they also discussed strengthening their strategic partnerships and enhancing general cooperation.

Military cooperation between France and Indonesia has grown in recent years.

French air force planes made a stopover in Jakarta in July as part of a visit to Southeast Asia that was meant to display France’s commitment to regional security.

Last year, Indonesia purchased 42 Dassault Rafale fighter jets and is expected to receive the first Rafale jets under the contract in 2026.

It also announced the purchase of two French Scorpene Evolved submarines and 13 Thales Ground Control Interception radars.

Five of the radar systems are expected to be installed in the country’s future capital, Nusantara, on Borneo island.

Barrot’s visit is also expected to help lay the groundwork for a meeting between Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and French President Emmanuel Macron, who is expected to visit the country in May.

Barrot is in Indonesia after a visit to Singapore and on Thursday and Friday will be in the Chinese city of Shanghai.