JAKARTA – Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Armed Forces (ADF) Admiral David Johnston said Indonesia’s plan to buy a Chinese-made Chengdu J-10 fighter would not affect the long-standing RI-Australian military alliance.
“As I said before, it is entirely appropriate for Indonesia to make decisions based on its own interests, and Australia has great respect for this,” Johnston said at a press conference in Jakarta, Friday, October 17.
He stressed that the decision also did not reduce Australia’s efforts to strengthen military relations with Indonesia.
“We are also very confident in relations between the two countries, so we will continue to grow and deepen this relationship,” said Johnston.
He also responded to reporters’ questions about Indonesia’s defense cooperation with Russia. In November 2024, the TNI and the Russian Navy held joint war games in Surabaya, East Java, and the waters of the Java Sea.
Army Chief of Staff (KSAD) General TNI Maruli Simanjuntak has also met with Deputy Director of the Russian Federal Service for Military Technical Cooperation Federation, Mikhail Pethukov, at the Indo Defense 2025 Expo & Forum in Jakarta in June.
Johnston emphasized that Australia respects Indonesia’s decision, both related to defense equipment and military cooperation.
Australia, he said, is also working with many countries so that Indonesia’s decisions do not affect partnerships between the two countries.
“We consider that Russia has an influence that could cause instability in the region, and our government has made it open,” said Johnston.
“However, mutual respect for Indonesia allows us to have open and honest conversations, while continuing to maintain and deepen the relationships and activities we carry out together,” he added.
On Wednesday (15/10), Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said the Chengdu J-10 fighter jet made in China will soon operate in Indonesia.
“He will fly in Jakarta soon,” he said without explaining when the fighter jet will arrive.
Previously, the Head of the Defense Information Bureau of the Secretariat General of the Ministry of Defense, Brigadier General Frega Wenas Inkiriwang, said that the purchase of the fighter aircraft was still being studied by the Indonesian Air Force.
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