Jakarta. Indonesia wants to keep the Chinese funding source alive for its multi-billion-dollar high-speed rail project, according to its chief diplomat at high-level talks on Friday, amid plans to extend the line to Surabaya.

Foreign Minister Sugiono and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi had just had their inaugural comprehensive strategic dialogue. Economic cooperation dominated the two-and-a-half-hour diplomatic meeting. The Chinese train debt was no exception. Indonesia mainly funded the $7.3 billion Jakarta-Bandung fast train — also known as Whoosh — using a Chinese loan. The government has been trying to renegotiate the debt, while also looking for solutions at home. 

“We discussed the continuation of the Belt and Road Initiative cooperation, including the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train. There is a commitment that this is something that must be continued,” Sugiono told a joint press briefing.

“There should be sustained financing, including alternatives to increase the passenger volume,” Sugiono said.

Wang left out the Whoosh project in his opening remarks or comments to the press. He stressed that both sides were looking to bolster economic cooperation, saying that they had agreed to pursue a “more balanced trade”, among others. 

Indonesia is mulling extending the track to reach the East Javan capital of Surabaya. The government has signaled that expansion will follow after it takes care of the debt that plagued the Jakarta-Bandung route.

The Finance Ministry has floated plans to use an off-budget financing vehicle to settle the debt. This vehicle will also take over the controlling stake in Whoosh’s operator KCIC by mid-September. In a recent press conference, Purbaya signaled that Beijing was “willing” to take part in the Surabaya-bound expansion. 

The railway project is part of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s so-called “Belt and Road Initiative”. The initiative has seen Beijing heavily investing in infrastructure projects such as railroads and ports in different parts of the world as Xi seeks to grow his global influence.

Whoosh’s ridership reached 6.2 million passengers throughout last year. During construction, the project suffered a $1.2 billion cost overrun due to pandemic-related delays and land acquisition problems.

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