Indonesian leader set to visit Beijing

Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s visit to Beijing next week is set to highlight neighborhood diplomacy, multilateralism and the annual G20 Summit, injecting more dynamism in a world struggling from an economic downturn and regional conflicts, analysts said.

They made the observation as Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying announced on Thursday that the Indonesian leader will visit China on Monday and Tuesday at the invitation of President Xi Jinping.

The Indonesian president will become the first foreign head of state visiting China since the conclusion of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games in February. China is the first stop of Widodo’s first East Asian tour after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This fully shows the high importance both countries attach to bilateral ties,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a daily news conference in Beijing on Thursday.

During Widodo’s visit to China, President Xi Jinping will hold talks with the Indonesian leader, and Premier Li Keqiang will also meet with him.

The two sides will “embark on an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations as well as major regional and international issues”, and Beijing looks to further deepen bilateral strategic mutual trust and pragmatic cooperation through the visit, the spokesman said.

“The great hospitality Beijing presents for the Indonesian president illustrates China’s priority and sincerity in developing its diplomacy with its neighbors,” said Su Xiaohui, deputy director of the China Institute of International Studies’ Department of American Studies.

“As Indonesia holds the presidency of the G20 this year, the trip will also see China’s great attention paid to shoring up multilateralism and perfecting global governance,” she added.

The Indonesian president praised China for its strong support of Indonesia’s presidency of the G20 when he met with visiting State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Jakarta on July 11.

During the Indonesian leader’s China visit, he will have face-to-face exchanges with Chinese leaders over the G20, discuss how to address and tackle prominent challenges facing the world and showcase the unity and collaboration of major developing countries, the spokesman, Wang, said.

Both countries will “jointly inject more positivity” into efforts in revitalizing the global economy in the post-pandemic era, and make fresh contributions to advancing global justice and fairness, he added.

Beijing and Jakarta have had frequent official visits and contacts in recent months over a variety of issues, including on G20 events.

“The G20 summit this year in Bali, Indonesia, is faced with challenges posed by the pandemic, the disruptions of global supply chains and production chains, as well as moves to counter globalization,” said Ren Lin, head of the Department of Global Governance at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of World Economics and Politics.

“The summit is expected to gather major economies to discuss postpandemic recovery, rolling out macroeconomic policy coordination and keeping global economic governance afloat,” she added.