TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan will deepen exchanges and cooperation with Indonesia based on the present situation once the Southeast Asian nation’s new president is confirmed, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Thursday (Feb. 15).
Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto declared himself the winner of the Feb. 14 election, with early results indicating he had received more than half the votes, making a second round unnecessary. The former special forces commander has faced allegations of human rights abuses during the rule of his father-in-law, late dictator President Suharto.
MOFA Spokesperson Jeff Liu (劉永健) emphasized that Indonesia was scheduled to declare an official winner for the presidential election on March 20, Radio Taiwan International (RTI) reported. In the meantime, Taiwan would continue to monitor developments in the populous country, he added.
Indonesians are the largest group of migrant workers in Taiwan, accounting for about a third of the 753,000 foreign caregivers and laborers. The government has also designated their country as one of 18 New Southbound Policy target areas to promote economic, cultural, educational, and other cooperation projects.
Liu described the current status of relations with Indonesia as “friendly.” Over the past few years, the two countries had worked closely together on issues including trade, agriculture, and education, he said.