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Coronavirus pandemic
This Week in AsiaOpinion
Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat
Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat

Opinion | Coronavirus can strengthen China’s ties with Indonesia

  • When this pandemic passes, Indonesia will need Chinese investment more than ever
  • Even so, Beijing should be wary of taking its foot off its soft-power pedal

Reading Time:3 minutes
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Women in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, wear face masks to guard against the coronavirus. Photo: AFP
Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat
China and Indonesia will mark the 70th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties on Monday, at a time when the battle against Covid-19 is topmost on the minds of its leaders.
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Indonesia is struggling with a surge in coronavirus cases, with more than 3,000 infections so far, and has received Chinese donations of medical supplies. China’s new infections have fallen from their peak two months ago, with effortsnow focused on curbing imported cases and preventing asymptomatic ones from causing a new wave of infections.

Amid the crisis, both sides this month pledged to deepen cooperation. According to the official Xinhua news agency, President Xi Jinping told his counterpart Joko Widodo in a call that China would offer Indonesia the help it needed in the fight against the coronavirus.
He said China wanted to deepen cooperation with Indonesia under the Belt and Road Initiative – Xi’s ambitious plan to boost global trade connectivity – and “push forward the development of their comprehensive strategic partnership”.

When this pandemic passes, and if there are no major shake-ups along the way, we can expect Sino-Indonesian ties to strengthen. For one thing, Indonesia will need China, currently its top investor and top export destination, more than ever.

As the world spirals into a painful downturn fuelled by the closure of businesses and lockdowns to stem the spread of the virus, Indonesia is trying to raise US$62 billion to stop Southeast Asia’s largest economy, which grew 5.1 per cent last year, from entering into recession.

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