JAKARTA — U. S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Thursday his administration wants fairer trade<br />with Indonesia, as Washington reviews a number of countries with which it has trade deficits.<br />Widodo said at the joint news conference with Pence<br />that the two countries would "increase the strategic partnership... which will focus on cooperation and investments".<br />After meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Pence said Washington was<br />interested in a "win-win relationship" with Southeast Asia’s biggest economy.<br />However, billionaire investor Carl Icahn, Freeport’s third-biggest shareholder<br />and special adviser to U. S. President Donald Trump, has described Jakarta’s tactics over the mining contract as "disingenuous and insulting", according to the New York Times.<br />Widodo’s approach to foreign policy has been led more by economic interests than geopolitical considerations: he has pursued increased trade and investment from China<br />but keeps a diplomatic distance from Beijing and established a strategic partnership with Washington under former President Barack Obama.
