<![CDATA[This study examines the paradiplomacy of the Riau Islands Provincial Government with Johor Bahru through the Malaysia–Indonesia Socio-Economic Cooperation (Sosek Malindo) in the Jiran Istimewa (JIWA) Program. The study aims to understand how the cooperation is implemented, including the roles of actors, coordination patterns, outcomes, and supporting and inhibiting factors. This research uses a descriptive qualitative approach. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, documentation, and literature study, with informants selected purposively from the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Johor Bahru, the Riau Islands Regional Border Management Agency, and the Riau Islands Tourism Office. Data were analyzed through data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing and verification. The findings indicate that JIWA represents a form of subnational paradiplomacy that emerged through a bottom-up and collaborative initiative. The program was formulated in 2024, discussed in the Sosek Malindo forum in 2025, and launched in Batam on 17 May 2025. Its implementation includes digital tourism promotion, special offers for residents of the Riau Islands and Johor, participation of local businesses, and strengthening socio-economic interaction across the border. The program involved 120 tenants, consisting of 84 in the Riau Islands and 36 in Johor. However, implementation is constrained by regulatory and jurisdictional limitations, coordination challenges, and the absence of a clear roadmap and shared performance indicators. The study implies that sustainable paradiplomacy requires stronger coordination, clearer institutional arrangements, and measurable long-term planning.]]>
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