Minister Sjafrie Holds Bilateral Meeting with China’s CMC Vice Chairman

RRI.CO.ID, Beijing - Indonesia's Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin held a courtesy call with Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), General Zhang Shengmin, at the Ba Yi Building in Beijing on Thursday morning, September 17, 2026.

The meeting was held as a concrete step to follow up on the consensus and strategic directions agreed upon by the leaders of the two countries, President of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto and President of the PRC Xi Jinping.

The visions and policies of the two leaders are aligned and fully focused on maintaining world peace, upholding humanitarian values, and enhancing the prosperity of the region.

The high-level consensus is being translated into operational measures to strengthen and advance defense cooperation, toward an increasingly integrated strategic partnership between the two countries.

During the meeting, Minister of Defense Sjafrie reaffirmed that the strengthening of defense cooperation between Indonesia and China continues to be guided by Indonesia’s independent and active, non-aligned foreign policy.

He emphasized that Indonesia consistently prioritizes its national interests and constitutional mandate, while upholding the principles of mutual respect, mutual interest, and mutual benefit in pursuit of regional security and stability.

The two sides held an in-depth discussion on strengthening the defense cooperation architecture through the optimization of the Indonesia-China 2+2 Forum mechanism and the establishment of Working Groups across four key areas: enhancing defense and security equipment capabilities and their logistical support; expanding joint exercises; developing human resources through education and Transfer of Technology (ToT); and strategic information exchanges.

Minister Sjafrie noted that, in addition to bilateral cooperation, the conduct of multilateral military exercises in Southeast Asia could also serve as an inclusive instrument to strengthen regional resilience, build mutual trust, and maintain sustainable security and peace in the region.

Furthermore, the Minister underscored the importance of intensive communication and transparent technical collaboration to ensure that all cooperation commitments can be implemented effectively and measurably, while making a tangible contribution to the sovereignty of both countries and regional peace.