The Indonesian and Australian militaries are holding joint combat drills off Indonesia’s main island of Java with about 2,000 troops training in air, maritime, amphibious and land operations.

Indonesia has held military exercises with other countries, including Russia, and recently engaged in a confrontation with China.

Indonesia’s new President Prabowo Subianto posted a video of his phone call congratulating Donald Trump on his reelection, during which the former special forces commander referenced his American “training” and called the US-president elect “sir” multiple times.

Indonesia’s new President Prabowo Subianto is covering all his bases during his trip to the United States. He posted online a nearly three-minute congratulatory phone call to Donald Trump for his 2024 presidential election triumph the day before he was due to meet President Joe Biden at the White House on Tuesday.

Indonesia said on Monday it does not recognise China's claims over the South China Sea, despite signing a maritime development deal with Beijing, as some analysts warned the pact risked compromising its sovereign rights.

China is putting ever-greater pressure on the Philippines to cede its sovereign rights in the South China Sea, Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro said on Tuesday after a meeting with his Australian counterpart in Canberra.