English-speaking Indonesian media said that the recent cabinet reshuffle of Indonesian President Joko Widodo indicates that Indonesia may adopt a more critical stance towards China, which has a poor record of targeting Muslims, especially the Uighurs.
The media indicated in press coverage followed by Shiawaves that “the ministerial reshuffle seeks to place the country in Southeast Asia a major player for the spirit of Islam and its defense.”
It added, “The emphasis is based on the need to challenge China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea as well as its brutal crackdown on Muslims in the northwestern Xinjiang Province of the People’s Republic,” noting that “the Indonesian government has taken a hard line on China’s suppression of the Uighurs.”
It also points out that “there are efforts to promote the concept – human Islam – which is based on the principles of tolerance, pluralism and the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”
