Jakarta. Chinese President Xi Jinping began his official tour of Southeast Asia on Monday, as Beijing seeks to strengthen ties with key economic partners amid escalating tariff tensions with the United States.

Although Indonesia is not part of his current itinerary, Xi exchanged congratulatory messages with President Prabowo Subianto ahead of his departure, marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Indonesia.

Prabowo is traveling to the Middle East also to widen global economic ties in the face of US sweeping tariffs.

According to China’s Xinhua News Agency, Xi described the two countries as “close neighbors across the sea and good partners sharing a common future,” noting that they have “stood together through thick and thin and engaged in sincere cooperation” over the past 75 years.

He stressed the significant progress in bilateral ties and the strong bond between the two nations’ peoples, which he said has deepened over the decades.

Last year, Xi and Prabowo met twice, during which they pledged mutual support for each other’s development goals, vowed to pursue their respective paths to modernization, and agreed to build a China-Indonesia community with a shared future. The initiative aims to expand regional and global influence and elevate bilateral relations to new levels.

Xi also highlighted the strategic importance of the partnership, stating that as major developing countries and key members of the Global South, China and Indonesia’s cooperation holds both regional and global significance.

He expressed a desire to further deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership with Indonesia, enhance multilateral coordination, and enrich the vision of a shared future with features suited to the new era -- setting an example of solidarity and mutual trust among developing nations.

According to Xinhua, Prabowo responded by affirming the enduring friendship and dynamic partnership between Indonesia and China. He praised the rapid development of cooperation under the “five pillars” framework, which includes political, economic, cultural, maritime, and security collaboration.

Xi began his ASEAN tour in Vietnam at the invitation of Communist Party General Secretary To Lam and President Luong Cuong, according to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The tour will continue with visits to Malaysia and Cambodia from April 15 to 18.

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