A China-funded bauxite smelter on an island in western Indonesia could scale down a key naval training area, prompting concerns that national defence priorities are being sidelined in favour of foreign investment, according to a Jakarta-based military analyst.
The proposed US$4.9 billion facility, to be developed by Tianshan Alumina Indonesia – a unit of Chinese metals giant Tianshan Aluminium – is set to occupy about 400 hectares (988.4 acres) of land currently used by the Indonesian Navy on…
