Today's Top 3 News: Prabowo Extends Chinese New Year Wishes, Begins US Visit

1 week ago 20

February 18, 2026 | 04:36 pm

President Prabowo Subianto arrived at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington DC, United States, on February 17, 2026. The visit aims to hold a bilateral meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and attend the inaugural "Board of Peace" meeting. Dok. Biro Pers Sekretariat Presiden/Cahyo

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Tempo English compiled the top 3 news on Wednesday, February 17, 2026. Here are the highlights: Prabowo Extends Chinese New Year Wishes, Prays for Prosperity; Prabowo Arrives in the US for Board of Peace Summit; and What Triggered the Viral SEAblings vs. Knetz Online Battle?

The following is the list of the top 3 news on Tempo English today:

1. Prabowo Extends Chinese New Year Wishes, Prays for Prosperity

President Prabowo Subianto conveyed his greetings for Chinese New Year to all Indonesians celebrating the holiday. Prabowo posted the message on his X account, @prabowo, on Tuesday, February 17, 2026.

"Happy Chinese New Year 2577 Kongzili, February 17, 2026," said the Chair of the Gerindra Party. In his post, Prabowo also expressed his hopes for the new year.

Prabowo hopes that the Chinese New Year will bring prosperity to all Indonesian people. "May it bring health, peace, and prosperity to all of us," said the former high-ranking officer of the Indonesian National Armed Forces.

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2. Prabowo Arrives in the US for Board of Peace Summit

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is now in Washington, D.C., United States (US), to attend the first Summit of the Board of Peace. Prabowo and his presidential entourage landed at Andrews Military Base on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at 11:55 a.m. local time (11:55 p.m. Western Indonesian Time).

When Prabowo's Garuda Indonesia-1 aircraft landed, the President was greeted by several local officials. Among them were Indonesian Ambassador to the United States Dwisuryo Indroyono Soesilo, Indonesian Defense Attaché in Washington Air Marshal E. Wisoko Aribowo, and Maintenance Group Commander Colonel Gary Charland.

After the reception at the airport, Prabowo headed straight to his hotel where he will be staying during his stay in Washington, D.C. During this visit, Prabowo was accompanied by Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya and Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia.

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3. What Triggered the Viral SEAblings vs. Knetz Online Battle?

In recent days, the topic of SEAblings vs. Knetz has fueled frequent discussions on social media platform X and various online media. This conflict originated from a debate between Southeast Asian netizens, who call themselves SEAblings, and South Korean netizens, known as Knetz. This dispute has escalated from a minor issue to a widespread argument among internet users across different countries.

What are SEAblings and Knetz?

SEAblings combines "SEA" (Southeast Asia) and "siblings." The term is used by netizens from Southeast Asian nations, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam, to identify as a group that supports one another within the region.

Conversely, Knetz is an abbreviation for Korean netizens, a term for internet users from South Korea who actively comment and engage in online discussions. In this specific context, the term identifies the group of South Korean netizens participating in the conversations related to this conflict.

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