The Global Maritime Fulcrum and Its Repercussions on Indonesian Free and Active Foreign Policy (2014-2019)

This article aims to examine the realization of the Global Maritime Fulcrum (GMF) and its repercussion on “free and active foreign policy” in Indonesia, in the context of the country’s need for infrastructure investment and rising tensions due to China’s economic dominance through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). To achieve GMF’s five main pillars, primarily maritime connectivity, the Indonesian government has received a large amount of loans from Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and allowed Chinese direct investment (CDI), including infrastructure investment such as Industrial Parks. However, there are concerns that this could endanger one of Indonesia’s fundamental foreign policies, which has been “free and active” since its independence. The research concludes that between 2014 and 2019, increased Chinese direct investment in Indonesia contributed to GMF, mainly through infrastructure investments and maritime connectivity, yet to employ GMF without violating free and active foreign policy, Joko Widodo’s approach was conducted through middle power strategy.