WASHINGTON — Indonesia’s leader and President Barack Obama were set to hold talks Monday expected to address the threat posed by Islamic extremism and tensions in the South China Sea.
President Joko Widodo is making his first official visit to Washington since taking power a year ago. It’s a chance to build a rapport with Obama, who spent part of his childhood in Indonesia.
But Widodo was being shadowed by events at home: raging forest fires that have spread a thick, smoky haze over Indonesia as well as Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
An Indonesian official said Widodo would be cutting short his U.S. visit to deal with the forest fire crisis. His schedule in Washington will go ahead as planned, but he’ll skip a stop in San Francisco and will fly home on Tuesday afternoon.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly about the president’s schedule.
Climate change will also be on the agenda of the meeting with Obama, which comes ahead of a global summit to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
Indonesia is a leading source of emissions. Researchers estimate that since September, emissions from Indonesia’s rampant land and forest fires exceeded the average daily emissions from all U.S. economic activity. That’s because many of the fires are on peat lands that are extremely rich in carbon.
While in the U.S., Widodo is looking to attract investment in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy and firm up ties with the United States. Indonesia balances its relations between the U.S. and China but is concerned about China’s expansive maritime claims and is seeking U.S. help to develop its coast guard.
