Indonesia and China to meet on building bilateral relations

Indonesia President Widodo will visit China to meet Xi Jinping in a relations building trip

Indonesia President Widodo will visit China to meet Xi Jinping in a bilateral relations building trip — Indonesia and China bilateral relations are growing as China seeks more influence in Southeast Asia – Photo: Indonesia’s Presidential Palace/Rusman

Indonesian President Joko Widodo will start his three-day tour of Northeast Asia in China today.

After China, Widodo will travel to Tokyo and Seoul on July 28. The visit includes an in-person meeting with President Xi Jinping, who has rarely hosted foreign leaders since the breakout of coronavirus in 2019.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s recent tour of Southeast Asia precedes this trip. China continues to deepen its security and economic ties in the region by focusing on bilateral relations, and, as the largest Southeast Asian economy and head of the G20 this year, Indonesia plays a crucial role in that strategy.

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Discussions will likely center around infrastructure development and trade as Indonesia remains under the pressure of rising staple commodity prices and domestic inflation. While China continues to expand its influence in Southeast Asia, the Chinese-backed rail line connecting Jakarta to Bandung is currently facing long-term profitability problems. As Indonesia builds its new capital city—Nusantara—and ramps up its renewable energy projects, China will likely use this opportunity to further establish bilateral infrastructure and trade agreements, deepening China’s influence in the country and region.

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Bilateral relations China Indonesia

Htet Thadar

Prior to joining Foreign Brief, Htet interned at the Karuna Center for Peacebuilding, where she worked on peacebuilding and conflict resolution efforts in Myanmar, Nigeria, and Ethiopia. During this time, she also oversaw and arranged program activities regarding Indigenous land issues in the Connecticut River Valley. In addition, she participated in the Young Professionals Program at the East-West Center where she wrote short articles on US-Asia local relations for the Asia Matters for America website. Htet is a current MA candidate at the Johns Hopkins University of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), focusing on Southeast Asia and international development, climate, and sustainability.