Jakarta. US President Joe Biden recently called President-elect Prabowo Subianto to congratulate him on his election victory, while saying that Washington sought to expand cooperation with Jakarta under the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF).

The IPEF sees its member countries seeking to explore cooperation across four pillars, namely: trade, supply chains, clean economy, and fair economy. Apart from the US, the IPEF members include Indonesia, Australia, Brunei, Fiji, India, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and New Zealand, among others. The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam also make up the IPEF. 

In a phone call to Prabowo on Friday Washington time, Biden discussed the IPEF and the recently elevated diplomatic status of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

“President Biden pledged to expand cooperation with Indonesia under the US-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework [IPEF], and to work together towards an Indo-Pacific that is free, open, prosperous, and secure,” a statement issued by the White House reads.

Prabowo also commented on Biden's phone call on social media, although his post did not say anything about the IPEF.

"I stand proud of the strong bond between Indonesia and the US forged over many years of friendship and cooperation. We are committed to continue and enhance this partnership between our two great nations, and I look forward to working with you in the future," Prabowo wrote on Instagram on Saturday.

IPEF members have been negotiating agreements across the four aforementioned pillars. The 14-strong group already signed an agreement on the supply chain pillar. They have reached the substantial conclusion of the clean and fair economy sections. The agreements on these two sections are set to be signed in Singapore this June. All that remains is the trade pillar. 

Speaking in the presence of IPEF leaders in San Francisco late last year, the outgoing Joko “Jokowi” Widodo promised that Indonesia would help the group conclude the trade agreement negotiations in 2024. Jokowi said at the time that Indonesia was “open to work with anyone” as long as the partnership is mutually beneficial. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping has also sent his best wishes to Prabowo shortly after the results announcement. In his message, Xi even said he wanted to meet Prabowo “at an early date”.

China is not part of the IPEF. Siwage Dharma Negara, a senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, said last July that the IPEF was Indonesia’s way of striking a balance between the rivaling US and China amidst Jakarta’s strong trade-investment ties with Beijing.

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