JAKARTA/WASHINGTON, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Indonesia's

President Prabowo Subianto met with U.S. President Joe Biden at

the White House on Tuesday and offered his congratulations to

President-elect Donald Trump by phone during an official visit

to Washington.

"I will work very hard to strengthen Indonesian-United

States relationship, and I would like to work towards this end

that we have a strong cooperation," said Prabowo.

Prabowo, who has said he will pursue a non-aligned foreign

policy, met with Biden in the Oval Office after posting a video

of his call to Trump.

He arrived in Washington straight from China, where he had

met with President Xi Jinping on his first overseas trip since

taking office last month.

Washington sees Indonesia, the most populous country in

Southeast Asia, as an important partner in a region where its

rival Beijing has deep trade and investment ties. Indonesia is

also the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.

While China is a key economic partner for Indonesia, Jakarta

has also become a big buyer of U.S. arms, and it wants to sell

the West more metals from its mines.

At the White House, Biden said the two leaders were

discussing climate, conflict in the Middle East and the South

China Sea.

Indonesia said on Monday it does not recognize China's

claims over the vast majority of the South China Sea, despite

signing a maritime development deal with Beijing.

"We continue to encourage Indonesia to work with their legal

experts to make sure any agreement they make with (the People's

Republic of China) is in accordance with international law,

especially the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea," said White

House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre at a press briefing.

After the meeting, Biden and Prabowo pledged in a joint

statement to expedite ongoing talks on critical minerals between

the two countries.

Last year, resource-rich Indonesia, who wants to become

a major player in the manufacturing of electric vehicles and

their batteries,

asked

the U.S. to begin talks on a trade deal for critical

minerals so that exports from the Southeast Asian country can be

covered under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act.

Prabowo and Biden also called for all parties in the

conflict in army-ruled Myanmar to create conditions for dialogue

as the country remains besieged by a conflict set off by a 2021

military coup.

Both leaders expressed support for the development of a

code of conduct between Southeast Asian countries and China in

the tension-filled South China Sea.

TRUMP CALL

Prabowo's office said he made the call to Trump on

Monday after arriving in Washington. It did not immediately

respond when asked if he is scheduled to meet Trump in person.

"Wherever you are, I'm willing to fly to congratulate you

personally, sir," Prabowo said in the video of the call posted

on his social media accounts.

"We'll do that, anytime you want," Trump replied.

Trump described his own election victory as amazing, and

said it gave him a big mandate.

He also said the Indonesian president was "very respected,"

and praised his English, to which Prabowo, a former special

forces commander, replied: "All my training is American, sir."

Prabowo also met with several U.S. company representatives

in Washington, his office said, including from Freeport McMoRan ( FCX )

and energy company Chevron ( CVX ), and urged the

companies to invest in Indonesia.