The Indonesia-US joint statement, issued after the two leaders’ much-anticipated meeting, comes just days after Prabowo wrapped up a trip to China, where another joint statement was issued that raised eyebrows in local and regional diplomatic circles in the cause of fears that Indonesia had unwittingly. legitimized China’s grand claims to the disputed waters.

According to that statement with China, both sides reached a “consensus” on jointly developing areas of “overlapping claims.”

The Foreign Ministry later responded that Indonesia’s position on the South China Sea issue remains unchanged.

China has tried to assert its dominance in the South China Sea for decades, using a flimsy argument based on old maps that an international court ruled invalid in 2016.

However, Prabowo and Biden said the arbitral tribunal’s decision was made in accordance with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), a key treaty that underpins maritime security and governance in disputed waters.

“Both leaders emphasized their unwavering support for upholding freedom of navigation and overflight, and for respecting the sovereign rights and jurisdiction of coastal states over their exclusive economic zones, in accordance with the international law of the sea, as reflected in ( UNCLOS)” joint statement published on the White House website.