JakartaPost-Feb 26, 2024
Indonesia has remained the leading diplomatic force with the most extensive network in Southeast Asia, a recent Global Diplomatic Index study has found, as China and the United States continue their fierce competition for influence. The study, which was published by the Sydney-based Lowy Institute think tank on Sunday, ranked 66 countries around the world, broken down into categories of the Asian region, the G20 and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It sought to measure each nation’s diplomatic prowess through mapped diplomatic footprints collected from mid to late 2023. The findings came against the backdrop of a volatile geopolitical landscape rife with conflicts, caused by, among others, the unabating war in Ukraine and the competition between Washington and Beijing that has put the Asia-Pacific region under the spotlight in recent years. In the Asian region, China has the most substantial global reach with 274 diplomatic posts around the world, followed by Japan with 251 posts and Russia with 230. While Indonesia ranked sixth in the Asia region, it holds the most extensive global diplomatic network of any Southeast Asian country, operating 130 diplomatic missions across 95 countries. In the overall ranking of the 66 countries, Indonesia was the country with the 23rd highest number of diplomatic posts abroad. Jakarta also ranked 6th overall among cities hosting the most foreign diplomatic posts, surpassing Washington, DC, Beijing and Canberra, with 75 foreign stations stationed in Indonesia’s capital. However, only diplomatic posts operated by the 66 countries in the study were accounted for in the index. Meanwhile, Thailand’s Bangkok was in 17th place, hosting 59 diplomatic posts, and Singapore placed 19th spot with 58 posts. Read more at:
