Anand Mathai – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto made a swift trip to Beijing to attend China's World War II victory commemoration parade on Wednesday, with his spokesman citing the importance of maintaining strategic ties and the easing of unrest at home.
Analysts said the tightly timed visit reflected Jakarta's effort to reassure key diplomatic partners and project stability abroad following global coverage of Indonesia's violent protests over the weekend, but warned it carried "political risks" at home if perceived as dismissive of protesters and their demands.
Presidential spokesman Prasetyo Hadi confirmed Prabowo's trip late on Tuesday. "To maintain strong ties with China, the president agreed to travel tonight and return the next evening," he said, as quoted by state news agency Antara.
Prasetyo said the president had decided to proceed with the visit after he had "reviewed the situation and received reports from all relevant agencies confirming that conditions are improving".
The parade, which commemorates Japan's 1945 surrender, is seen by Beijing as a key platform to highlight its wartime legacy and regional stature. Indonesia's then-president Joko Widodo did not attend the last V-Day parade in 2015, sending a special envoy in his place.
Prabowo's surprise attendance received a show of support from his host. Xi also pledged to back Indonesia in restoring order and stability as soon as possible, state media reported.
The Indonesian president originally cancelled the trip on Saturday, issuing a rare public apology to Beijing as tensions escalated in the capital following the death of a 21-year-old delivery rider during a protest.
At the time, he urged Indonesians to "stay calm and trust the government" and ordered "a thorough and transparent" investigation into the fatal incident, vowing that any officers involved would be held accountable.
On Sunday, he announced a freeze on overseas travel for lawmakers and a cut in housing allowances in rare concessions to public anger. Those measures, along with a heavier security presence in major cities and a temporary suspension of protests by several civil society groups, paved the way for the China visit to proceed.
The streets of Jakarta remained heavily guarded during Prabowo's absence, though major demonstrations had largely paused by Wednesday.
Business as usual
Analysts said the timing and optics of the trip reflected a calculated effort to project normalcy and diplomatic steadiness.
"Prabowo's Beijing trip likely aimed to shift focus from unresolved protest demands and instead prioritise multilateral meetings, signalling Indonesia's return to stability," Wasisto Raharjo Jati, a political sociologist at Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency, told This Week in Asia.
However, he noted that focusing on international optics might exacerbate domestic frustrations. "This could pose political risks, as the public might perceive a lack of genuine effort by the government in fully addressing their aspirations."
Among the protest movement's latest rallying points is a viral set of demands known as the "17+8 aspiration points" – a reference to 17 near-term and eight longer-term goals ranging from police accountability to economic relief.
Though unofficial, the lists have gained traction online and at rallies, with activists urging the government to respond before Friday for the near-term demands.
"The trending '17+8 aspiration points' reflect how recent protests are responding to the government's limited actions," Wasisto said. "Should the government stay uninformed, it will probably result in more political demonstrations."
"In my view, the timing and meaning of the visit were not very wise," said Nicky Fahrizal, a researcher at Jakarta's Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
"The president should have stayed to lead the recovery directly, which would have carried deeper significance by showing that he recognises and is addressing the underlying problems, particularly in the economic, political and legal spheres."
Made Supriatma, a visiting fellow in the Indonesia Studies Programme at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, noted a split in public reaction: while some local news outlets framed the trip as a show of strength, online critics cast it as tone-deaf.
"Mainstream media generally embraced the narrative of Indonesia's [Prabowo's] greatness, with headlines like 'Prabowo stands on par with Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un'," he told This Week in Asia.
"However, on social media, the situation was somewhat different. One criticism levelled by protesters was that the president was making too many overseas visits. But this grievance fell on deaf ears. Some accused Prabowo of FOMO [fear of missing out]."
Made warned that while the capital had quietened, the movement was far from extinguished. "The protests are now moving to the regions. The police are busy arresting pro-democracy activists and accusing them of orchestrating the demonstrations and riots."
He concluded that while the unrest might have temporarily receded, the drivers of dissent remained intact. "Elements of the movement are currently going underground. But they are not dead. They will rise again when the time is right."
"The underlying conditions that cause this resistance still exist and have not diminished in the slightest, such as economic and social inequality, corruption and violence by the police and military."
[Anand reported on Southeast Asia for over a decade and previously worked for Coconuts Media and the Jakarta Globe.]