(Bloomberg) -- Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto pushed for closer relations with the Philippines during a meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Manila on Friday.
“We call on our friends, and reconfirm my commitment to strengthen the close relationship that we have,” Prabowo told Marcos during the meeting. The Philippine leader meanwhile said that Prabowo’s visit will “bring a new impetus” to the two nations’ ties.
Earlier in the day, Indonesia’s defense ministry said Prabowo’s Manila visit “is a commitment of the Indonesian government to strengthen defense cooperation in the Southeast Asian region, and build a strategic partnership” between both countries.
Prabowo is seeking to bolster ties with the Philippines — a US ally — a month before he takes the helm in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. He has also visited other Asian nations in the past months including China, where he met with President Xi Jinping.
The incoming Indonesian leader has signaled that he will continue a middle-of-the-road strategy in navigating the US-China ties. Marcos, on the other hand, has been bolstering defense ties with the US as his nation contends with tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea.
The two nations recently cooperated in the capture of former Philippine mayor Alice Guo, who was arrested in Indonesia after fleeing Manila amid a probe on her alleged links to money laundering using China-centric online casinos.
Marcos also said earlier this year that the Philippines is willing to partner with Indonesia, including in the areas of energy transition, green metals and energy production. Both nations are among the world’s top nickel producers.
(Updates with details from meeting.)
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