Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto traveled to Beijing on Tuesday to attend China's Victory Day military parade at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, after postponing his trip due to domestic unrest.
The head of state, accompanied by Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya, departed from the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in Jakarta on Tuesday evening.
At the airbase, his departure was seen off by senior military officials and members of the Merah Putih Cabinet, including State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, who also serves as the president’s spokesperson.
“Tonight, President Prabowo Subianto leaves for Beijing to fulfill an invitation from President Xi. He was initially expected to arrive on August 31, but delayed his departure due to domestic developments,” Prasetyo said in a statement.
Prasetyo, commonly known as Pras, said Prabowo is scheduled to return to Indonesia on Wednesday evening, following the parade earlier in the day.
President Prabowo had earlier considered canceling his China visit after unrest erupted in parts of Jakarta and several other cities last week.
Xi had invited Prabowo to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin from August 31 to September 1, followed by the September 3 military parade in Beijing commemorating the 80th anniversary of China’s victory in the war against Japanese aggression.
Prabowo skipped the SCO Summit, with Foreign Minister Sugiono attending in his place.
Pras said the president decided to proceed with the Beijing visit after receiving confirmation that security had stabilized and life in affected areas had returned to normal.
“Today, the president reviewed the situation and received reports from all relevant agencies confirming that conditions are improving,” he said.
Chinese officials had strongly urged Prabowo to attend at least the Beijing parade.
“To maintain strong ties with China, the president agreed to travel tonight and return the next evening,” he added.
Earlier Tuesday, President Prabowo also met with Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin in Jakarta.
