Skip to main content

South Korea and Indonesia expand cooperation on defense and energy as Mideast war disrupts markets

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea and Indonesia agreed Wednesday to expand cooperation in defense industries, technology and supply chains as their leaders pledged to upgrade their strategic partnership in face of uncertainties stemming from the war in the Middle East, Seoul’s presidential office said.

After a summit in Seoul between President Lee Jae Myung and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, the two governments issued a joint statement pledging deeper economic ties and continued cooperation on joint defense projects, including fighter jets, trainer aircraft and anti-tank missile systems.

The two countries agreed to deepen cooperation on supply chains for energy, critical minerals and other resources. Lee described Indonesia as a vital source of natural gas and coal amid global energy disruptions caused by the war in the Middle East.

According to Lee’s government, South Korean companies will receive about 820,000 tons of liquefied natural gas from Indonesia this year, enough to power all of the country’s gas-fired plants for about 12 days.

The leaders expressed satisfaction with the two countries’ cooperation in developing South Korea’s homegrown KF-21 supersonic fighter, a program launched in 2015 with Indonesia as a partner. The first of these planes were rolled out last week and South Korea reportedly plans to export 16 of them to Indonesia.

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
Read Next Story