China gave a further fulsome endorsement of Indonesia becoming a full member of the BRICS—the first Southeast Asian nation to do so—at a special event in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta, on Jan. 18. The event featured the subject, “In conversation with H.E Liu Jianchao, Asia’s Future and 75 Years of Indonesia-China Ties”: Liu is the current head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee, and a former Chinese ambassador to Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous nation, with 281.2 million people.
Liu stated “Indonesia has made a right decision to join BRICS and its members are expecting the country to play a significant role in the grouping.” Liu disagreed with the idea that Indonesia is a junior member of BRICS. As a leading member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), “you are a very strong partner for all the other BRICS members.” Liu told hundreds of diplomats, academicians, government officials, researchers, business leaders, and university students, China Daily reported.
Anwar Raswari, chairman of the Indonesian Professional Engineer Association, and an owner of a construction company, lauded Indonesia’s membership in BRICS, praising China’s participation, and stated that the United States “is too busy” to help other countries economically, in remarks to China Daily after the event.
Chinese engineers, designers, and skilled workers helped build the 143 km (89 mile) Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway (HSR), which opened in 2023, and is the only HSR in Southeast Asia, being capable of a top travelling speed of 350 km/hr. China is positioning itself to become one of the top foreign investors and builders in Nusantara, the planned new capital of Indonesia that is being built from scratch over the next 20 years, in the middle of forests and palm tree farms.