Chinese and Indonesian foreign and defence ministers will meet on Monday for the first “2+2” dialogue of its kind in Beijing.

“That is the first ministerial‑level ‘2+2’ mechanism that China has set up, showing the strategic nature and high level of China‑Indonesia cooperation,” ministry spokesman Lin Jian said.

Lin said the discussions would cover political security and defence ties between Beijing and Jakarta, as well as international and regional issues.

The talks reflect China’s renewed efforts to strengthen engagement with Southeast Asia as a bulwark against worsening ties with the United States.

The region is increasingly being seen as a geopolitical chessboard for the China-US rivalry and China appears to be broadening its long-standing foreign policy focus on relations with big powers, particularly Washington, by fostering stronger ties with neighbouring countries.

The Biden administration also sought to upgrade America’s strategic and defence dialogue arrangement with Thailand to the ministerial level and established an economic version of the “2+2” meeting with Japan.

However, since US President Donald Trump took office in January, Washington has not moved forward with new talks under those established mechanisms.

Meanwhile, China and Indonesia agreed in November to hold their first ministerial-level 2+2 dialogue – one of various commitments reached during Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s trip to the Chinese capital.

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