According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, about 40 percent of Indonesians, for instance, view China's growing economy as a good thing, but only 32 percent agree that China's investments in Indonesia are beneficial for the country.

Coherently, in the six Asia-Pacific countries surveyed, people tend to be wary of Chinese investments giving Beijing a bigger influence over their economies, the report says.

The six countries surveyed were the Philippines, Australia, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea and India.

The survey polled 38,426 people in 34 countries from May 13 to Oct. 2.

“When it comes to developed countries, views of China are much more mixed to negative. Generally, countries with stronger human rights records and lower levels of corruption tend to be much less keen on China,” the report says. Countries such as Australia, Japan and South Korea record more than 50 percent who are not in favor of China’s investments in their lands.

The survey also shows that countries that have had similar political beliefs as China tend to show “a favorable view of China”, with Russia topping the results with 71 percent of its nationals voting favorably toward China. On the other hand, countries that have had prolonged competition and negative sentiments show more adverse results, such as Japan, with only 14 percent and the US with 26 percent.

Indonesia, as a country that receives many Chinese investments, especially in infrastructure, demonstrates a moderate result of 36 percent.

Analysts have said that Indonesia had been carefully taking steps toward embracing China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) when President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo announced 30 projects worth US$91.1 billion in BRI investments earlier this year. Indonesia seemed to attempt to define clearly what the BRI means in Indonesia, at the same time hoping to avoid certain pitfalls that have become synonymous with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s flagship program.

“We learned from the experiences of other countries — especially Asian countries — when they faced difficulties in dealing with the Belt and Road Initiative,” Atmadji Sumarkidjo, a former expert staff member for the then-coordinating maritime affairs minister Luhut Pandjaitan, told The Jakarta Post. He said the Chinese had also promised that they would agree to Indonesia’s preconditions if they wanted investment in any kind of project in Indonesia.

Amid the rising sails of China in the Pacific, most of the nations, however, still view the US as an ideal ally to partner with, the Pew survey says. In Indonesia, meanwhile, some 67 percent of respondents still believe that the US is the leading economic power, while the other 24 percent lean toward China.

Commenting on the study, the Jakarta-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies’ (CSIS) executive director, Philips J. Vermonte, argued that Indonesia, particularly, should still engage in “a flexible way” with China as a consequence of prolonged historical relations, ranging from cultural to anthropological aspects.

“Our relationship with them goes back hundreds of years [...] We have to be less nervous because somehow they have known us and vice versa.”

With massive Chinese projects flowing into the country, many of which are in infrastructure, Philips suggested Indonesia diversify the inflowing investments, saying that “I think [as a country] we are big enough to have [good] bargaining terms with China.”

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