On April 1, it was reported that the Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing for high-level talks with the aim of further strengthening relations between the two nations, according to the Hong Kong Free Press.
Xi Jinping told Prabowo Subianto that China is willing to boost “all-around strategic cooperation” with Indonesia and that the ties between China and Indonesia “have entered a new stage of jointly building a community with a shared future”, according to Time Magazine.
China is Indonesia’s biggest economic partner.
The Chinese government has invested $7 billion into the Indonesian economy and has also backed the construction of a high-speed rail in Indonesia, according to Bloomberg.
The Indonesian nickel industry is a key target of Chinese investment.
After visiting China, the Indonesian President-elect will travel to Japan, a key ally of the U.S.
This comes as tensions in the South China Sea are at all-time highs and China has engaged in increasingly aggressive actions towards the Philippines, which some observers worry could spark a conflict.
