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Jokowi’s visit to China, Saudi Arabia underlines their strategic importance
Jokowi’s visit to China and Saudi Arabia underscores how significant they are in Indonesia’s foreign policy focus and national economic interests, experts have said.
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President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo speaks during the opening ceremony of the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Oct. 18, 2023. (AFP/Pedro Pardo)
O
n the eve of his tenth year in the nation’s top office, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo was in China for the 10th Belt and Road Summit, with plans to head to Saudi Arabia soon afterward to meet with the kingdom’s ruler and lead the first ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit (GCC).
The high-level visit underscored how much China and the major powers of the GCC have become key in Indonesia’s foreign policy focus and national economic interests, experts have suggested.
Arriving in Beijing on Monday, Jokowi attended the Indonesia-China Business Forum, where he heaped praise on Chinese businesses for helping develop the country.
China was the second-largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Indonesia in 2022, a far cry from the 13th place partner it was before Jokowi came into office.
Billions of dollars’ worth of private sector deals were signed between the two sides this time around, according to government accounts, as Jakarta sought to increase investment in its energy industry and in the development of the new capital city, Nusantara.
Jokowi then met with President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Li Qiang and Parliament Speaker Zhao Leji before joining the BRI Summit.
Over the past eight years, the BRI initiative has funneled billions of dollars into Indonesia’s infrastructure projects under Jakarta’s Global Maritime Fulcrum (GMF) scheme, which was renewed when Jokowi visited Beijing last year. Ahead of this week’s trip, the President’s second to China this year, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said it was important for the “national infrastructure development program”.
