Australia, Indonesia hedge against China with a security dealCONTRIBUTION: Canberra has signed deals across the Pacific region and boosted efforts to increase influence as Washington leans on allies to help deter BeijingBloombergAustralia and Indonesia’s leaders yesterday signed a security deal, one of a series of agreements that Canberra has secured with neighboring countries to reinforce ties and limit China’s influence in the region. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, left, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese walk together during a meeting at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta yesterday. Late last year, Australia concluded a security deal with Papua New Guinea, which sits north of Australia and east of Indonesia. “The government can be very pleased with the agreements it signed across the Pacific,” Lowy Institute security program director Sam Roggeveen said. The deal is largely based on an agreement signed by then-Australian prime minister Paul Keating and then-Indonesian president Suharto 30 years ago that Jakarta abrogated following East Timor’s vote for independence from Indonesia.

Source: Taipei Times February 06, 2026 16:09 UTC