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hina is keen on establishing a stronger presence in the fast-growing e-commerce sector in Indonesia and ASEAN through its cross-regional infrastructure mega project called the One Belt, One Road Initiative (OBOR).

Currently said to be the world’s largest e-commerce player, China is confident that its mega project will help deepen its cooperation with ASEAN countries in the digital sector.

“China is willing to be a partner with ASEAN to seize opportunities brought by the new-wave technological and industrial revolution and jointly promote internet-based mass entrepreneurship,” said Chinese Ambassador to ASEAN Huang Xilian on Wednesday.

“China and Indonesia will vigorously develop cross border e-commerce to build a bridge for cooperation among small and medium [enterprises] in both countries.”

Speaking at the ASEAN-China Business Forum: The First E-Commerce Dialogue in Jakarta on Wednesday, Huang said e-commerce had eased the flow of trade between China and ASEAN and Indonesia.

“Because of e-commerce, now we can easily purchase Chinese products in Jakarta, and at the same time, plenty of Southeast Asian specialty products have entered China’s e-commerce market,” he said.

The reason China is pouring its money into ASEAN and Indonesian e-commerce lies within its own massive digital industry.

With 753 million internet users, China’s e-commerce transactions have grown from less than 1 percent of worldwide transactions a decade ago to 40 percent today. In 2016, the value of mobile payments related to consumer spending in China amounted to US$790 billion, 11 times that of the United States.

At the same time, the booming e-commerce trend has made ASEAN a new hot spot for Chinese investment. According to Google and Temasek Holding data, the digital economy in ASEAN is expected to exceed $200 billion in 2020.

In Indonesia, China has taken root in the e-commerce sector through investments by giant tech firms like Alibaba Group Holding, Tencent and JD.com, helping the emergence of new unicorns like ride-hailing firm Go-Jek and online marketplace Bukalapak.

Alibaba has poured at least $6 billion into nearly every aspect of the country’s e-commerce sector, including online marketplaces Lazada and Tokopedia. Meanwhile, Tencent and JD.com have invested in Go-Jek and travel platform Traveloka, respectively.

With 132 million internet users, Indonesia seems too big for China to ignore as it is now ASEAN’s largest market for e-commerce, with transactions worth $5.6 billion in 2016, according to Bank Indonesia data.

Huang said there was still a lot to be done with ASEAN in the future, including enhancing synergy in e-commerce development strategies, strengthening governmental guidance and identifying the focal points of cooperation, as well as fostering collaboration among enterprises.

Meanwhile, experts point to the need for both the Chinese and Indonesian governments to ensure that the cooperation is mutual.

“I hope it is not merely investment, but also transfers of technology,” said Sugeng Rahardjo, deputy chairman for social, economic and cultural affairs at the Indonesia-China Association, adding that China’s digital expertise would help enhance Indonesia’s e-commerce sector.

Poppy S. Winanti, an international relations expert at Gadjah Mada University, stressed the need for cooperation that would require strong partnerships between foreign and local companies in order to ensure the domestic market would benefit.