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Indonesia's president cancels China trip as protests continue

31 August 2025 00:51 (UTC +04:00)

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Saturday cancelled a planned trip to China as days of protests spread further outside the capital Jakarta, with several regional parliament buildings set ablaze, APA reports quoting Reuters.

Prabowo had been due to attend a "Victory Day" parade in China on September 3 to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two following Japan's formal surrender.

The protests, the first major test for Prabowo's nearly year-old government, began in Jakarta this week over lawmakers' pay and worsened after a police vehicle hit and killed a motorcycle rider.

"The president wants to continue monitoring (the situation in Indonesia) directly...and seek the best solutions," presidential spokesperson Prasetyo Hadi said in a video statement on Saturday.

"Therefore, the president apologises to the Chinese government that he could not attend the invitation."

Another consideration in cancelling the trip was a United Nations General Assembly session in September, Prasetyo said.