Jokowi asks China to help build new capital's transport system
Beijing's top diplomat Wang Yi says '2+2' ministerial platform will deepen ties
JAKARTA -- Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday in Jakarta in an effort to strengthen ties with China ahead of the handover to his successor in October.
According to Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, who briefed the media on the meeting, Widodo requested China's cooperation in range of areas, including developing the country's new capital, Nusantara, especially its transportation system, and for investment in the petrochemical sector in North Kalimantan.
On the two countries' flagship a high-speed railway project connecting Jakarta and Bandung, Jokowi raised the need to accelerate feasibility studies to extend the route to Surabaya, the country's second-largest city, in East Java.
Marsudi also said Jokowi "expressed confidence that Beijing would use its influence so that escalation [of the Middle Eastern conflict] could be prevented."
Wang arrived in Jakarta at the invitation of the Indonesian government, the first stop on his Asia-Pacific tour, which also includes Cambodia and Papua New Guinea. Wang held separate meetings with Jokowi and Marsudi, discussing a wide range of economic cooperation, including Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative.
Wang was also scheduled to meet with Defense Minister and President-elect Prabowo Subianto, who will succeed Jokowi later this year.
After meeting with Marsudi, Wang told reporters the two countries had set up a ministerial dialogue to deepen diplomatic and defense ties.
"Taking the 2+2 dialogue between foreign ministers and defense ministers as a platform to enhance political and security cooperation, the two sides should firmly understand and support each other on issues involving each other's core interests and major concerns," a statement released by China's Foreign Ministry said.
Wang's visit comes as Beijing strengthens ties with a number of Southeast Asian nations, as its competition with Washington for influence in the region heats up. China and Indonesia have drawn closer in recent weeks, after Prabowo won the presidential election in February. From late March to early April, Prabowo visited China at Xi's invitation in a rare move. Beijing usually welcomes foreign dignitaries after they are inaugurated.
At a regular news conference on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Beijing hoped Wang's visit would help implement the consensus President Xi Jinping reached with the leaders of Indonesia, Cambodia and Papua New Guinea to carry out high-quality projects under the Belt and Road. Lin said: "China's relations with the three countries have maintained robust growth momentum."
Indonesia also hopes to cement ties with China as Prabowo takes office as president in October.
"I believe, based on the timing, it is more so about following up the diplomatic momentum to secure partnerships for the next four to five years, especially with regards to Indonesia, [which] will have a new leader," said Muhammad Waffaa Kharisma, a researcher at the Jakarta-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
Indonesia also expects to drum up foreign investment by improving ties with Beijing. China has been the country's largest trade and investment partner for the past few years, spurred by projects ranging from nickel processing to a high-speed railway.
Outgoing President Widodo has repeatedly asked China for help with the effort to move Indonesia's capital from Jakarta to Nusantara on the island of Borneo. The move is scheduled to begin in August and Prabowo has pledged to move forward with the project.
Kharisma added that Indonesia faces fiscal stress from the relocation, saying it requires investors from countries such as China.
After Jakarta, Wang is scheduled to visit Cambodia and Papua New Guinea. Xi told Cambodia's newly elected Prime Minister Hun Manet last October that their "ironclad" ties were unbreakable, and that Beijing stood by its promise to support development projects in the Southeast Asian country. Beijing is building a new $1.5 billion international airport in Phnom Penh that is slated to open next year, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported last month.
Similarly, in Papua New Guinea, where Chinese companies have already built a rare six-lane highway in the center of Port Moresby, Wang will likely follow up on Xi's pledge to his counterpart, James Marape, last October to assist the country with industrialization and modernization.