Widodo's visit to China shows the neutral and balanced stance of Southeast Asian countries represented by Indonesia on the China-US (rivalry).
Beijing (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo's planned visit to China on July 25–26, 2022, reflects the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN’s) neutral stance on the China-US rivalry, a Chinese political observer, Tang Qifang, has said.



"Widodo's visit to China shows the neutral and balanced stance of Southeast Asian countries represented by Indonesia on the China-US (rivalry)," he was quoted by local media as saying on Friday.



The visit is very important for bilateral relations between the two countries, more so because Widodo will be the first head of state in the world to visit China after the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, he said.


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On the sidelines of the Winter Olympics in Beijing in early February 2022, Chinese President Xi Jinping had received visits from several heads of state and government, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.



During his visit to China, Widodo is scheduled to meet President Xi and Prime Minister Li Keqiang in Beijing.



"Widodo's visit is very crucial because the two heads of state could not visit each other for almost three years due to the COVID-19 (pandemic),” Tang, a researcher at the China Institute of International Studies, said.


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The visit will not only push bilateral trade between China and Indonesia and between China and ASEAN but will also encourage the creation of global peace and stability, he added.



"Economic and trade cooperation will become a very important topic. The two sides will most likely make practical achievements since such cooperation is badly needed to recover the bilateral and regional economies," he said.



Despite the strong momentum for China-Indonesia cooperation in keeping with the rising bilateral trade amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Tang said he believes that Indonesia is still coming under pressure due to the international food price hike and domestic inflation.



Therefore, Indonesia is seeking to increase cooperation with China to maintain a positive trend and create more opportunities.


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Translator: M. Irfan Ilmie, Suharto
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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