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For decades, it has been an article of faith of Australian policy that our continued security and economic prosperity depend, at least partly, on building strong ties with Indonesia. Governments have crafted a string of bilateral deals on trade, investment and security most recently, the Indonesia–Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which came into force in July and successive prime ministers have worked hard to build close personal relationships with Indonesian presidents.
As Australia’s relations with China turn sour, our ties with Indonesia, a country of 270 million surging up the ranks of the world’s largest economies, becomes ever more important.