The results of the survey, according to head of the agency's legal research center, Emilia Yustiningrum, are in line with those of the ASEAN Peoples' Perceptions Survey (APPS) conducted by the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI).
The APPS states that China is seen as the most relevant partner for the future of ASEAN.
"Since the administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to President Joko Widodo, relations between the two countries have continued to strengthen," she said at the launch of the APPS 2024 report here on Thursday.
Emilia added that the initial survey on the perceptions of Indonesian elites toward the Indo-Pacific aimed to understand the views of the government toward the Indo-Pacific more deeply.
The survey was conducted at 10 ministries that play a role in managing the relations between Indonesia and countries in the Indo-Pacific region.
Through the questions in the survey, BRIN identified four points related to Indonesia-China relations, with China emerging as the most profitable partner in economic growth, with the strongest social power projection, and as the most relevant partner for the future.
"Based on our survey, we see how the Chinese government tries to act toward international relations, and it happens in every administration," she said.
The starting point was the close relationship between heads of state, which was seen when President Xi Jinping introduced the 12-year initiative to President Yudhoyono in 2013. The initiative was reintroduced in the Indonesian parliament in 2015.
The relationship continued in the era of President Widodo when cooperation between Indonesia and China was pursued not only at the head of state level but also at the ministerial level.
"The Chinese government is also trying to improve relations with the Indonesian people in general, especially through academic institutions. Interestingly, the Chinese government is approaching Islamic universities, such as IAIN Surabaya, to strengthen relations," she noted.
In addition, Emilia highlighted the strong role of the Chinese diaspora in Indonesia.
Chinese investment is increasingly reaching the Indonesian people via collaboration with the Chinese diaspora who have lived for long in the country.
"This is the reason why our survey results are closely related to the FPCI survey, that the impression of close relations between China and Indonesia is very strong," she added.
In the ASEAN Peoples' Perceptions Survey, 31.9 percent of the respondents viewed China as the most relevant partner for the future of ASEAN, followed by South Korea (19.58 percent) and Japan (19.43 percent).
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Translator: Kuntum Khaira Riswan, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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