Indonesia's response to the Belt and Road Initiative and the Indo-Pacific: A pivotal state's hedging strategy

Regional politics surrounding Southeast Asia has exhibited significant developments with China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and counter initiatives through the Indo-Pacific concept. This article seeks to examine Indonesia's strategic reactions to such regional developments. It argues that Indonesia has exhibited policy responses to the BRI and the Indo-Pacific concept by hedging against uncertainties created by China's economic prowess through the adoption of mutually contradictory policy options. Such a hedging strategy was present in various dimensions: adopting economic accommodation and economic diversification regarding the BRI; taking confrontational strategies in maritime security tensions with China while pursuing economic pragmatism for attracting BRI funds; and restraining reliance on China and its BRI by pushing forwards Association of Southeast Asian Nations' (ASEAN) regional initiative that uses the Indo-Pacific term. The findings indicate that Indonesia's position is crucial for bolstering ASEAN's status as the main regional organization under evolving regional politics.