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Indonesian President Joko Widodo resumes overseas visits in October after a nearly two-year hiatus while facing major global challenges. (Nikkei montage/Reuters/AP)
Asia Insight

Jokowi breaks out of shell to broaden Indonesia's global horizons

Can president reassert Jakarta's claim to lead the developing world?

ERWIDA MAULIA, Nikkei staff writer | Indonesia

JAKARTA -- Indonesian President Joko Widodo has stepped under the global spotlight. Emerging from two years of pandemic-induced isolation, the leader of the world's fourth-most-populous nation appears to have shed some of his more placid characteristics, shifting to an altogether more forceful and bold persona.

Jokowi, as he is popularly known, has asserted himself in international gatherings such as the Group of 20 and COP26 summits. His new, more self-assured stance could have wide strategic consequences for the sprawling archipelago he rules at the heart of Asia's contested seas.

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