While President Joko Widodo is at the center of attention during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Beijing this week, with major powers offering friendship, cooperation, investment and even aid to Indonesia, he should be able to maximize the nation’s gains while at the same time maintain our foreign policy independence.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch and all these offers will come with strings attached. You get something but give up something else in exchange.

In the case of Indonesia, beside natural resources and a huge market, it is its freedom and neutrality.

Indonesia doesn’t want to be seen by the United States, Japan, South Korea and Australia as pro-China or pro-Russia, while it must convince the Chinese and Russian leaders that it doesn’t take sides with Western powers and its allies.

It’s not quite a bipolar world like we had during the Cold War era — at least not yet. But competition between the United States and its allies on one side and China on the other over geopolitical influence and resources has intensified in this part of the world. Indonesia sooner or later will be caught in the middle. It may be forced to choose sides.

As Joko scraps his predecessor’s “thousand friends, zero enemies” credo, he must come up with a pragmatic strategy to maintain a free and active foreign policy. In this regard, he can borrow from Mohammad Hatta, the country’s first vice president.

In his 1948 speech titled “Rowing Between Two Rocks,” Hatta said choosing between the West and East would only intensify the Cold War tension, thus Indonesia would review any situation case by case to attain peace and conflict resolution.

Applying it to the current rivalry, Indonesia should be part of the solution, and mediate for peace while maximizing the outcome for its people.