Indonesia confident to build stronger relations with China
Indonesia confident to build stronger relations with China
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Indonesian Ambassador to China Juwana who took up his post two
months ago is confident of building a stronger Indonesia-China
ties as reflected in his interview with Harry Bhaskara of The
Jakarta Post in Beijing recently.
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As a new Indonesian ambassador in Beijing how do you see our
current bilateral relations?
Ever since we restored our ties in 1990 there has been a
significant improvement in our relationship and with no obstacles
whatsoever.
As a new ambassador I feel there has been a strong desire in
both countries to forge stronger ties albeit inside the boundary
of "correctness".
What do you mean?
Correctness is my catch-phrase. When I submitted my
credentials to Minister of Foreign Affairs Qian Qichen he openly
discussed our up and down relationship and he hinted upon taking
careful and gradual steps toward forging a stronger relationship,
an approach analogous to those dictated from Jakarta.
Is there any immediate agenda?
Improvement of bilateral ties is at the top of our agenda, as
a conducive political climate will contribute to stability and
peace in Southeast Asia which will be favorable for development
in both countries. Secondly, creating an economic tie that can be
beneficial to both countries. Another important task is to kick
off progress in other spheres using the improved political and
economic ties as a basis.
You mentioned economic ties... could you elaborate on this?
Our mission is to increase the volume of trade without
jeopardizing our trade balance. I have conveyed this message to
both Chinese officials and company managers.
What products are being offered by the Chinese?
They are offering a variety of products, especially medium
technology machinery which we really need for our development in
our far flung provinces, and they have plenty of them to sell.
However, I always remind them that selling these items should
always be reciprocated with purchases on their part, lest our
trade balance be disturbed. This would have an effect on other
sectors including politics and they fully understand it.
What should we do in this respect?
We need to boost counter-trade to prevent a possible trade
deficit. Statistically with our trade balance with China there is
a surplus in our favor, although it is a declining surplus,
whereas most other countries' trade with China have been in
deficit. We might follow suit in one or two years if the selling
of machinery from China is not reciprocated with more buying of
our products.
That's the reason why I always keep in touch with Chinese
state companies and semi-government firms which are willing to
link their selling of their machinery with buying of our products
such as crude oil and plywood. But I am still in the dark as to
how the Indonesian government will respond to it. It seems that
our government is still working out the quota for each of those
compensation commodities.
Although demand for these compensation commodities is high?
The demand is high and in the absence of a direction I have
asked Chinese delegations, be it from state companies or semi-
government companies, to come over to Jakarta to hold direct
negotiations.
If I may come back to politics, why did the Chinese government
feel the need to comment on the recent Medan riot?
It was an answer by a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman to a
question from a Singapore journalist in a routine weekly
briefing. The question implied that the riot was an anti-Chinese
one. A foreign news agency which later carried the story had
mixed up the question and the answer.
So, there was actually no statement from the Chinese foreign
ministry?
Yes, there was no statement. It was an answer from a question
in which the spokesman said that based on the good relationship
between the two countries the Indonesian government would be able
to handle whatever problem comes to the surface.
This episode shows that there are still sensitive issues to
be reckoned with in our bilateral ties and the Chinese government
is fully aware of this. Hence the importance of correctness in
our relationship, the ability to look at an issue in a
comprehensive way.
Is there any pertinent issue in the near future?
After the normalization of our relationship the embassy has
received 32,000 visa applications from Chinese people to visit
Indonesia. I don't know how many Indonesians have applied for
Chinese visas but one source said that it was more than 100,000.
Immediately after I presented my credentials, I paid a visit
to the Chinese chief justice and attorney general to set up a
rapport in anticipation of a problem that might come out of this
rapid flow of people.
Coincidentally our attorney general has just made a visit
here and plans are afoot to set up a cooperation in the legal
matters.
So, this is a kind of preventive action?
That's right. In so doing, we also have to rid ourselves from
undue suspicion (toward the Chinese) as better cooperation in
legal matters will yield better understanding between the two
countries, as the case of Singapore in the late 1970s has proven.
At that time it was very difficult to get trade statistics from
them, for example. But after a cooperation in the field of law
had been established all went on smoothly.
What is the purpose of the visit of the 32,000 Chinese?
Most of them are visits by various delegations and trade
purposes. The others are family visit and tourists. However,
Indonesia has not been put in the tourist destination list by the
Chinese government, although this is now in the process of being
negotiated. But as their living standard improves more and more
Chinese can afford to travel abroad. Malaysia, for example,
receives 20,000 Chinese visitors per month primarily for trade
purposes since the country is a close trading partner of China.
We have streamlined our visa application procedure to ensure a
smooth process by working closely with our foreign ministry, our
immigration department and related institutions. Yesterday I met
with operators of 35 travel agencies which are based in Hong Kong
and China to discuss about visa application.
Referring to the flow of people between the two countries,
what about the former members of the banned Indonesian Communist
Party who took refuge here since the 1960s?
So far no one has ever showed up here. Also the issue has
never crept up in our bilateral relations. In this case we have
to appreciate the correctness of the Chinese government.
Or perhaps they have become Chinese citizens?
That may be. I don't know. Or perhaps they haven't changed
their citizenship and become stateless, since the Chinese
government also recognize stateless people.
What about visits by Indonesian conglomerates, do they contact
the Indonesian embassy while they are here?
We will much appreciate it if Indonesian citizens will contact
their embassy while they are abroad. So far only a few of them
drop by at the embassy. Actually, China is a large country anyway
and those who go to Shanghai, Shenshen or Guangzhou may have not
time to come here.
It will be helpful if they contact us or at least inform us
where they are because should something happens we will be held
responsible.
Besides, I have set up a program to invite visiting
Indonesians, be they from the government or private sector, to
give a lecture to our embassy staff. If they have something to
share for the improvement of our mission, why not?
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