On Thursday, the Chinese President Xi Jinping conveyed his congratulations to Prabowo Subianto on his victory in the Indonesian Presidential Election. Beijing’s state news agency Xinhua reported that Prabowo and his vice-presidential running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka had already declared their triumph after unofficial counts showed them winning a majority in the February vote. In his letter to Prabowo, President Xi stated that China and Indonesia are neighbors with a long-standing friendly relationship, and he looks forward to working together with the President-elect. He also emphasized that the development of bilateral relations has entered the fast lane, political mutual trust has been increasingly consolidated, the alignment of development strategies has deepened, and mutually beneficial cooperation has yielded fruitful results.
Indonesia has been one of the biggest recipients of Chinese foreign direct investment, and Chinese companies have poured billions of dollars into natural resources in the country, particularly in the nickel sector. Last year, Beijing supported Southeast Asia’s first high-speed rail, a multibillion-dollar project. However, this spending has stoked unrest over pay and working conditions at several Chinese-funded nickel-processing plants. Jakarta is pushing to become a major player in the electric vehicle supply chain, increasing the pressure on Chinese companies to address these issues.
In conclusion, President Xi’s letter to Prabowo highlights the importance of the relationship between China and Indonesia. The two countries share a history of friendly relations, and Xi looks forward to working with Prabowo to further strengthen the cooperation between the two nations. The focus on mutually beneficial cooperation is positive, and China’s support for Indonesia’s development is significant. However, the challenges faced by Chinese companies in Indonesia cannot be overlooked, and it will be interesting to see how these issues are addressed in the coming years.
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