Indonesian leader's visit set to advance ties

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will start a three-day visit to China on Friday, his first foreign trip since taking office about two weeks ago.

It will be the 73-year-old former Indonesian defense minister's second visit to China within the year. Prabowo chose the country as his first overseas destination after winning the presidential election in March.

Such a gesture "speaks volumes about the great importance he attaches to the growth of China-Indonesia relations", Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Tuesday at a news briefing.