Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Indonesia in April 1950, the relations between the two countries have undergone rapid development and withstood numerous tests. Since the resumption of diplomatic relations in 1990, the two countries have deepened cooperation in all fields and continuously upgraded political relations. Today, China and Indonesia are working together to promote construction of a community with a shared future. China-Indonesia relations have become a model of mutually beneficial cooperation between countries in the region.

Enhanced Political Mutual Trust

　　Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the leaders of both China and Indonesia have prioritized development of bilateral relations, and head-ofstate summits have become a major component of political relations between the two nations. In October 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Indonesia and attended the 21st Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting. A year later, then Indonesian President Joko Widodo arrived in China to attend the APEC Leaders’ Meeting. In March 2015, Widodo visited China again. In April 2015, President Xi Jinping appeared in Indonesia again to attend the Asian-African Summit and activities in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Bandung Conference. After that, the two heads of state maintained frequent meetings and offered guidance for the development of bilateral relations.

　　In July and October 2023, Widodo visited China twice, wherein the leaders of the two countries reached important consensus on deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership. The leaders also witnessed the opening of the Jakarta-Bandung High-speed Railway for business operation. In April and November 2024, Prabowo Subianto visited China on his first overseas trip right after he was elected Indonesian president and made his first state visit to China after officially taking office, highlighting the importance Indonesia has attached to its relations with China. China and Indonesia have issued a joint statement on advancing the comprehensive strategic partnership and building a China-Indonesia community with a shared future, with their political mutual trust reaching new heights.

Improved Cooperation Mechanisms

　　Mechanism building is an important guarantee for China-Indonesia cooperation and a key area of political cooperation between the two countries. At the turn of this century, the two countries established a joint commission for bilateral cooperation led by foreign ministers as well as political and security dialogues at the vice-premier level. Since 2015, bilateral cooperation mechanisms have been continuously enriched and improved, with the establishment of vice-premier-level people-to-people exchange and high-level economic dialogue mechanisms. In June 2021, the two countries launched a high-level dialogue and cooperation mechanism. In 2023, they established a new model of high-level cooperation on the “fourwheel drive” of political, economic, cultural, and maritime affairs.

　　In addition to all that, China and Indonesia established the 2+2 dialogue mechanism for foreign and defense ministers. In August 2024, the two countries held the first “2+2” senior officials’ meeting and exchanged indepth views and reached a series of consensus on strategic cooperation on bilateral relations, diplomacy, and national defense.

　　During President Prabowo’s visit to China in November 2024, ChinaIndonesia cooperation mechanisms were upgraded even closer to perfection, with the “four-wheel drive” model evolving into “five pillars” of politics, economics, culture, maritime affairs, and security, to include security cooperation.

Upgraded Bilateral Relations

　　After the end of the Cold War, ChinaIndonesia cooperation entered a fast track. In April 2005, China and Indonesia established a strategic partnership. The two countries issued a joint declaration highlighting the China-Indonesia strategic partnership as an important pillar for strengthening China-ASEAN strategic partnership as well as an important component of South-South cooperation.

　　In 2010, the two countries signed an action plan for the strategic partnership. The following year, they signed a memorandum of understanding on bilateral consultation between the foreign ministries and established hotlines connecting foreign ministry officials at all levels. In October 2013, President Xi Jinping visited Indonesia and announced an initiative to build the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road alongside Southeast Asian countries. The China-Indonesia relationship was upgraded from a strategic partnership to a comprehensive strategic partnership, with focus on cooperation in five major areas: First, politics, defense, and security; Second, economics and development; Third, maritime affairs, space, and science and technology; Fourth, society and culture; Fifth, international and regional cooperation.

　　In November 2022, China and Indonesia reached an important consensus on building a community with a shared future, and they agreed to continue to deepen bilateral relations under the guidance of this effort. It was another important step towards building a community with a shared future between China and Southeast Asian countries.

Strengthened Strategic Coordination

　　China and Indonesia are important developing countries, and strengthening strategic coordination in international and regional affairs is the essence of bilateral relations. When China and Indonesia established a strategic partnership in 2005, their bilateral relationship was defined as the basis for close coordination and cooperation in regional, trans-regional, and international forums and organizations. In 2013, China and Indonesia called for promoting equality, mutual trust, inclusiveness, mutual learning, and mutually beneficial cooperation in international relations, strengthening the central role of the United Nations in promoting international peace, security and development, and supporting UN Security Council reform.

　　In recent years, the two countries have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening coordination and cooperation on international and regional issues and working together to safeguard regional and global peace, stability, and prosperity. To this end, the two sides have hosted diplomatic consultations on multilateral issues. For example, at the G20 Hangzhou Summit in 2016, Indonesia actively responded to China’s proposal to “build an innovative, invigorated, interconnected, and inclusive world economy.” At the G20 Bali Summit in 2022, China supported Indonesia’s proposed priority agendas for global health governance, global energy transformation, and the digital economy.

　　The year 2023 marked the 10th anniversary of the China-Indonesia comprehensive strategic partnership. The leaders of the two countries agreed to forge consensus, enhance solidarity, and make concerted efforts to tackle challenges and promote extensive global cooperation to foster maximum common understanding for building a peaceful and prosperous world.

　　China-Indonesia relations have gone beyond the scope of bilateral relations and seized important strategic significance. On the future journey of development, it’s imperative for China and Indonesia, two major forces in the global South, to continue deepening strategic coordination within the frameworks of G20, BRICS, APEC, and ASEAN to enhance discourse power and influence of the global South countries in the international political arena and encourage emerging markets and developing countries to play a bigger role in the global governance system.

　　About the author Luo Yongkun is a researcher at the Institute of International Studies, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.