The Political Economy of China-Indonesia Relations in 2022

Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat

Jan 2023 · INDEF

About this ebook

2022 was another crucial year for China-Indonesia relations. The cooperation continued to grow and expand in various fields. While political and economic fields remain the arenas where the ties between China and Indonesia predominantly revolved, 2022 witnessed numerous developments in the soft-power fields. These included China’s growing media influence and its public diplomacy towards the Muslim community aimed to augment its positive image among Indonesians. Such efforts appeared to be a response to the fact that in recent years Indonesians’ view of China has not been positive. In the 2022's survey, there was a decline in the public's positive feelings towards China decreased significantly compared to five years ago. This sentiment is rooted not only in the country’s long history of anti-China sentiment, which has been exacerbated by Chinese incursions in the South China Sea, but mainly in its ill-treatment of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang. As in the previous two years, this book aims to understand the various dynamics in the relationship between China and Indonesia throughout 2022. It analyses crucial episodes in Beijing-Jakarta cooperation that took place in the past year and attempts to offer recommendations that can be taken by government actors, business actors, and other relevant stakeholders in order to ensure that the relationship is mutually beneficial for both countries.

About the author

Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat is a research professor at Korea Institute for ASEAN Studies, Busan University of Foreign Studies, South Korea. His research focuses on China-Indonesia-Middle East relations. Zulfikar’s academic background originates from a B.A. in International Affairs from Qatar University. This was further shaped by an M.A. in International Politics and a Ph.D in Politics from the University of Manchester in the UK. Zulfikar is also a research associate at the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF), Jakarta.