Chinese Ambassador Supports Indonesia's Transmigration Transformation

China’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Wang Lutong, has voiced support for the nation’s transmigration transformation programme and encouraged strengthened cooperation in rural development, poverty alleviation, and regional development. Wang conveyed this support during the departure ceremony for the Patriot Expedition 2026 team, organised by the Ministry of Transmigration in Jakarta. ‘I wish the Patriot Expedition 2026 team every success. May the friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Indonesia last forever,’ Wang said in an official statement received in Jakarta on Monday. According to Wang, the Patriot Expedition 2026 team reflects Indonesia’s commitment to promoting balanced regional development while improving the welfare of communities in transmigration areas. He noted that relations between Indonesia and China continue to grow, driven by the intensity of bilateral meetings between President Prabowo Subianto and President Xi Jinping, which have yielded various strategic understandings, including cooperation on rural development, poverty alleviation, and regional modernisation. As a form of support, the Chinese government is opening opportunities for exchange by inviting local government officials from transmigration areas to study rural development practices and regional revitalisation in China. Wang said Indonesian delegations have previously visited Shanghai and Hubei Province to learn about poverty alleviation policies and rural revitalisation. He also shared China’s experience in successfully eradicating extreme poverty by 2021 through targeted, collaborative, capacity-building, and sustainable approaches. ‘We hope that cooperation between China and Indonesia will continue to grow through mutually beneficial collaboration, thereby creating shared prosperity,’ he said. Wang expressed hope that the Patriot Expedition 2026 team would carry out their duties well and contribute to the development of transmigration areas. The Ministry of Transmigration has deployed 1,476 participants, divided into 246 teams, to serve in 53 transmigration areas across various regions. Minister of Transmigration Muhammad Iftitah Sulaiman Suryanagara said these locations are part of 154 priority transmigration areas mapped through the 2025 Transmigration Economic Transformation programme. In addition to providing community assistance tailored to each area’s needs, some teams will also prepare feasibility studies and project documents ready to be offered to potential investors to boost economic development in transmigration areas. The Ministry of Transmigration has allocated Rp226 billion, or around 35 percent of its total 2026 budget, to support the Patriot Transmigration Programme.