Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto departed for Beijing on Tuesday night after earlier announcing he would cancel foreign travel to focus on widespread unrest at home.

Flying aboard the Presidential Aircraft from Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in East Jakarta at around 8 p.m., Prabowo is set to attend China’s military parade on Wednesday, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The visit follows a personal invitation from President Xi Jinping.

State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi said Prabowo had originally been invited to both the parade and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) annual summit on August 31. However, the president chose to forgo the SCO meeting in light of demonstrations that recently spread across several Indonesian cities.

“In recent days, the Chinese government strongly requested that President Prabowo attend at least the military parade,” Prasetyo explained. He added that Prabowo’s decision factored in the restoration of public order in Indonesia. “The president monitored the situation and received reports that order has been restored and daily activities have returned to normal,” Prasetyo said.

Prabowo is expected to return to Jakarta by Wednesday night after completing his short visit.

Just days earlier, the same official announced that the president had canceled the China trip, citing the need to directly oversee efforts to restore stability amid violent clashes in Jakarta and beyond. At the time, Prabowo expressed regret to the Chinese government but stressed his priority was safeguarding domestic security.

“With humility and with apologies to the Chinese government, President Prabowo Subianto has conveyed that he cannot attend their invitation,” Prasetyo said at that time.

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