Despite a shared history, India has neglected its eastern neighbours over the past six decades. On October 20, a vital maritime neighbour, Indonesia, saw a potentially climactic power transition. The avowedly nationalist Prabowo Subianto succeeded the affable Joko Widodo as president, with the latter’s son Gibran Rakabuming Raka providing continuity as vice president. China is the first country President Prabowo is visiting, despite a Chinese coast guard ship having intruded into Indonesian waters on October 26. Prabowo’s relations with the US remain wary because of his human rights record. India must embrace President Prabowo before yet another key neighbour joins the Sinosphere despite Indonesian wariness about China’s overbearing business and geopolitical influence. Prabowo belongs to a storied but controversial family. His father Sumitro Djojohadikusumo was the only person to have served as a senior minister in the cabinets of both Sukarno (1945-1967) and Suharto (1968-1998). Since Suharto undid almost every aspect of Sukarno’s regime during his reign, it required great political deftness to serve both. Prabowo’s grandfather Margono Djojohadikusumo founded Bank Negara Indonesia. It briefly …