Indonesia-China “pragmatic bilateralism” in a changing global trade environment – Margot de Groot Van Embden, Kimberley Le Pape

Since President Joko Widodo came to power in Indonesia in 2014, the bilateral rapprochement between China and Indonesia – already initiated under the previous government – experienced a substantial acceleration. The prospect of new investment opportunities from China, especially under Xi Jinping’s 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, has led the Indonesian government to display more pragmatism towards strengthening its economic ties with Beijing, despite growing concern about China’s geostrategic ambitions in Southeast Asia. But while Indonesian diplomacy has been paying attention in maintaining a “dynamic equilibrium” in its relations with major powers, increasing instability in the world trading system, as well as the economic disengagement of the United States in the region, could jeopardize this equilibrium and thereby, Jakarta’s diplomatic maneuverability.