Jakarta. Chinese President Xi Jinping recently said he was hoping to meet President-Elect Prabowo Subianto “at an early date” in his congratulatory message over the latter’s victory.

After the General Election Commission (KPU) declared Prabowo as the president-elect on Wednesday night, best wishes from world leaders, including Xi, continued to pour in. Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Lu Kang delivered Xi’s letter to Prabowo the following day.

“I am ready to work with you to steer the building of the China-Indonesia community with a shared future toward greater progress, so as to set a fine example of major developing countries working together for common development, deliver more benefits to our two peoples, and inject strong impetus to regional and global prosperity and stability. I look forward to meeting you at an early date,” Xi said.

Prabowo will officially assume office in October, replacing the outgoing Joko “Jokowi” Widodo who has governed the country for a decade.

Prabowo once shared his thoughts on his foreign policy approach towards China should he win the election.

“We recognize China’s importance in Southeast Asia. China is a great civilization. It has contributed a lot and now it is very, very active, and contributing a lot to our economy,” Prabowo said at a forum hosted by the think-tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Jakarta late last year.

Indonesia’s economic ties with China have grown stronger over the years under Jokowi administration. Throughout 2023, Jokowi has met Xi in person several times including during the 10th anniversary of Xi’s flagship infrastructure investments Belt and Road Initiative in Beijing. 

The Belt and Road Initiative sees China investing in major infrastructure projects -- be it railroads, airports, or dams -- across the globe. An example of this project is the $7.3 billion high-speed railway that connects Jakarta and Bandung. The China-funded project is also Southeast Asia’s first high-speed train.

China-Indonesia trade hit $127.8 billion throughout 2023. Indonesia registered a $2 billion surplus with China during that period after repeatedly posting deficits in the previous years, according to the Trade Ministry. Bilateral trade reached $10.8 billion in the first month of 2024. Both Indonesia and China are members of the world’s largest trade pact: the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

Indonesia also racked up $7.4 billion in foreign direct investments (FDI) from China last year. This made China Indonesia’s second-largest foreign investor after Singapore ($15.4 billion).

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