Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer are set to ink a strategic partnership soon, a pact that will include cybersecurity, according to a British diplomat.

When Prabowo made a state visit to London in late 2024, the two leaders vowed to elevate their ties to a strategic partnership level. Preparations have gone under full swing since then to finalize this pact. Matthew Downing, the British deputy head of mission to Indonesia, told reporters Monday that the yet-to-be-signed treaty would focus on four pillars. They are economic growth; climate and energy; people and society; defense and security. The last pillar is expected to also address matters related to cybersecurity -- something that Downing said was necessary as hackers know no borders.

“Cyber issues and cyber attacks go across borders, between countries. We have to work together with Indonesia and all other partners to combat any kind of cyber threats,” Downing said in Jakarta.

“More broadly, cyber is not only about cybersecurity. It is also about digital ecosystems that cross borders. We need to be working in partnership with Indonesia.”

A joint statement issued during the November state visit wrote that they were aiming to launch the strategic partnership in 2025. Asked by reporters about the time frame for the relations upgrade, Downing only said that the negotiations remained ongoing to this day. The envoy added: “We are just looking to agree when it will all be ready, but in the near future is when we are looking to be doing it.”

Both governments had also yet to decide on the location, with Starmer having no plans to make a visit to Jakarta soon. 

“I very much hope at some point he [Starmer] will be able to come in the future. There is nothing currently scheduled. He is a very busy person, and it’s quite difficult to find time,” Downing said.

As a curtain-raiser to the strategic partnership, the UK sent a delegation of 11 cyber firms to explore investment opportunities in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy. The trade mission includes BAE Systems Digital Intelligence and Athenian Tech. 

Official statistics showed the UK was Indonesia’s tenth-biggest foreign investor in the first quarter of 2025. Indonesia had attracted about $149.7 million foreign investment inflows from the UK over the said period, the money flowing to 2,239 projects. Indonesia-UK trade reached almost $1.8 billion between January and August 2025, with Jakarta running a $327.8 million surplus.

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