Editor’s Note: Azhar Azam works in a private organization as a market and business analyst and writes on geopolitical issues and regional conflicts. The article reflects the views of the author and not necessarily those of CGTN.

Pursuing a friendly policy towards China and supporting the Chinese people-centered vision of a common future and mutual growth, Indonesia is committed to preserving regional peace, strengthening vaccine research, participate in regional cooperation programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative and fight climate change along with Beijing.

Appalled at Indonesia’s rational and pragmatic approach, Washington is still courting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) largest economy in the hope that it will take a tougher stance against Beijing, by especially on the South China Sea. While it is a “hard sell” to wrest Indonesia from China given China’s huge investment and vaccine cooperation, the close economic and strategic relationship between the two countries almost eliminates the likelihood of any confrontation.

In 2020, Jakarta’s exports to Beijing increased 10.1 percent to $ 37.4 billion. Given Indonesia’s trade deficit with China, Beijing pledged in January to import more Indonesian goods, after which Chinese imports from Jakarta in the first nine months of 2021 exceeded its exports to the state. from Southeast Asia. In addition, several large Chinese companies have pledged to invest in new energy, which would increase Indonesia’s contribution to the global electric car industry.

Last year, then US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sweated to drive a wedge between China and Indonesia by highlighting the Uyghur issue and Beijing’s “illegal” claims in his speech. trip to Jakarta. But his attempt backfired as many influential Indonesians viewed him with skepticism, believing that the escalation was not in the interests of either country.

During his recent meeting with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Indonesian Coordinator for Cooperation with China and Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan refused to sever ties with the largest investor and a key trading partner of his country, China. Chinese investments were helping Indonesia “to survive,” he told Sullivan, “why don’t you come too?”

Unlike Washington’s historically flawed approach to Jakarta, China and Indonesia have deepened their economic cooperation at the provincial level. Several provinces of the archipelago are seeking to take advantage of Chinese technological growth and the enormous domestic demand.

Bengkulu, Central Sulawesi, West Kalimantan and the Riau Islands are just a few of the many Indonesian provinces that have made or signed agreements to build power plants with China’s assistance in terms of agricultural technology, which could help them to develop special economic zones and increase their commodity exports. in China. Another province, West Java, has even established sister relations with the Chinese municipality of Chongqing and the Zhuang Autonomous Region of Guangxi, as well as with the provinces of Henan, Heilongjiang and Sichuan to expand cooperation in the fields of agriculture, culture, tourism and manufacturing industries.

After Indonesia rushed to find medical supplies amid the raging coronavirus pandemic in early 2020, it found China willing to provide essential supplies. In December, Jakarta received the first batch of Chinese vaccines – a humanist gesture for which Indonesian President Joko Widodo expressed his gratitude in a televised address. He then took his second Sinovac vaccine at the Presidential Palace during an event broadcast live.

On August 31, Indonesia administered its 100 millionth vaccine and became the seventh country to achieve this milestone. China’s Sinovac was instrumental in making Jakarta a success, as more than 90 percent of the country’s vaccine doses arrived from Beijing. Western media are trying to cast doubt on the effectiveness of Chinese vaccines, but Indonesian authorities have lifted their qualms by approving Sinovac for children aged 6 to 11.

The inclusive relationship between the two parties is evolving towards military cooperation. In May, the Chinese and Indonesian navies jointly conducted a naval exercise – focusing on communication, search, rescue and maneuver training – in waters near Jakarta to improve coordination in an emergency at sea. Previously, the Chinese navy had deployed its fleet in waters north of Bali to help Indonesia lift debris from its sunken submarine.

Joko Widodo called Chinese President Xi Jinping Indonesia’s “good friend and brother” and expressed a desire to work with China under the BRI. The two countries previously signed “Two Countries Twin Parks”, an initiative to synergize the BRI and Indonesia’s vision for the global maritime fulcrum.

Some argue that Jakarta owes a “hidden debt” to Beijing for infrastructure projects, including the BRI-linked Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway. Indonesian officials, however, are confident that the collaboration with China “will bring substantial impact” to the country and hope that more Chinese companies will play a larger role in advancing BRI cooperation.

All these developments show that the economic and strategic relations between China and Indonesia are consolidating and strengthening. The US-led AUKUS, which is alarming ASEAN and raising “Indonesia’s deep concerns about the continued arms race and the projection of power in the region,” is nonetheless a danger to the region. regional peace and prosperity, and should unite all Southeast Asian states to defend their economic interests. growth that could be endangered by America’s destabilizing activities.

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