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Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, left, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a signing ceremony in Beijing on Nov. 9.  © Reuters

TORU TAKAHASHI, Nikkei senior staff writer

TOKYO -- Prabowo Subianto embarked on a whirlwind world tour as Indonesia's president shortly after taking office on Oct. 20, visiting six countries over 17 days.

The tour began on Nov. 8 in China. After a stop in the U.S., Prabowo participated in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru, followed by the G20 summit in Brazil. He then crossed the Atlantic to the U.K. before concluding his long journey with a visit to the United Arab Emirates, returning to Jakarta on Nov. 24.

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