Indonesia and China to meet on building bilateral relations
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.
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.
