The largest economy in Southeast Asia and within ASEAN, among the most Francophile non-aligned nations, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country yet an infinite cultural mosaic, Indonesia is “the last dragon of Asia and it has awakened,” as businessman Pierre-Marie Relecom tells us.

One Frenchman clearly understood this new reality: the French head of state. His Indo-Pacific ambition for France will remain one of the major diplomatic ideas of the Macron years. Indonesia plays an increasingly central role in that vision. Over the past ten years, ministerial visits between Jakarta and Paris have multiplied. The highlight of this political honeymoon came on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations, when France invited Indonesia to open the July 14 military parade in 2025.

Among the great leaders of the world, President Prabowo Subianto, who is making a state visit to France on Thursday, May 28, is one of the most Francophile heads of state. He loves France, as illustrated by the portrait we publish in this dossier. He regularly spends private holidays there, his son lives between France and Jakarta, and two of his nephews hold dual nationality. Paris remains one of the favorite cities of the Indonesian intelligentsia.

The romance between Paris and Jakarta began under their predecessors, notably allowing the French citizen Serge Atlaoui, who had long been sentenced to death, to avoid execution in 2016 thanks to the personal intervention of François Hollande with Joko Widodo. Sometimes, being President of the Republic is useful.

But since Prabowo Subianto came to power in October 2024, a special relationship has developed with Emmanuel Macron.

Indonesia according to Prabowo

President Prabowo Subianto is imposing an accelerated modernization of his country: the creation of an ambitious sovereign wealth fund, Danantara Indonesia; a subtle mix of protectionism and free trade; strengthened defense capabilities through major contracts with Dassault, Naval Group, and Thales; diversification into civil nuclear power and renewable energy through the Just Energy Transition Partnership; popular programs to provide free meals to all children in the country and impose 100% halal certification for food and cosmetics from October 1 onward; and a strong anti-corruption drive.

On the geopolitical front, Indonesia intends to assert itself between the United States, China, and India. Its non-aligned position closely echoes France’s own approach in international affairs.

As Harold Hyman writes, “Indonesia has no dispute whatsoever with France.” Better still, the relationship between Indonesia and France is more win-win than ever.

Beyond the leaders

Yet French business leaders — not to mention the media, which seem deaf and blind to the realities and deeper significance of this Asian powerhouse — are paying far too little attention. And yet Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy and greatest democracy, is now reaping the rewards of a long period of political and economic stability, establishing itself as one of the world’s most dynamic new engines of growth.

The complementarities between France and the Indonesian archipelago go back a long way. From the moment it gained independence, Indonesia chose to maintain the application of the civil code — a legacy of Napoleon, since the Dutch colonial power itself was under French rule from 1806 to 1814. The French model has continued to inspire Indonesian lawmakers ever since the nation’s founding, whether in constitutional matters, the balance between secularism and the Pancasila doctrine, or the principle of universal social welfare.

So why are French business leaders still turning a deaf ear, aside from a handful of pioneers such as Philippe Louis-Dreyfus, Danone, France’s leading defense companies, and expatriates established locally like entrepreneur Antoine de Carbonnel [URL link] or Lucas Mascarade, a French lawyer based in Indonesia?

In Indonesia, as in Latin America and many non-French-speaking territories, the French too often fail to realize how Francophile the world remains. Blind arrogance? Misplaced pride? Certainly lost opportunities and declining influence.

Indonesia remains a country where France is still admired, notably among the elites.

While Business France and the Franco-Indonesian Chamber of Commerce are very active, consular organizations have been slow to coordinate their efforts in promoting Indonesia as a destination.

Projects launched by President Prabowo, such as civil nuclear power and agri-tech, along with future-oriented sectors like healthcare, should mobilize French expertise and French SMEs.

Indonesia represents an entire art of living and doing business, with its own economic culture. Pierre-Marie Relecom and Antoine de Carbonnel, partners at Relecom & Partners, decode this reality in our special dossier dedicated to relations between our two countries.

These Frenchmen who know this new Asian dragon explain the business opportunities and offer valuable advice for conquering Indonesia.

Advice worth following for French entrepreneurs seeking new markets to conquer.

Michel Taube and Radouan Kourak