China and Indonesia, both major developing countries, emerging market nations, and key players in the "Global South", share a relationship of significant strategic importance and profound global impact. During this year's Two Sessions in China, Semiarto Aji Purwanto, Dean of the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences at the Universitas Indonesia, was interviewed by Yangcheng Evening News.
Yangcheng Evening News: In recent years, China and Indonesia have cooperated extensively in infrastructure construction. How do you evaluate such cooperation?
Purwanto: China's progress in the field of technology is remarkable. Indonesian leaders have realized that Indonesia has more options and does not need to rely solely on the West; China can assist Indonesia in achieving technological modernization. Particularly, Indonesian leaders are deeply impressed by China's achievements in infrastructure construction under the Belt and Road Initiative, which has spurred us to vigorously promote domestic infrastructure development, including in transportation and communication. As an archipelagic country, Indonesia still needs more ports and airports. China's advancements in infrastructure construction can provide valuable lessons for Indonesia.
Infrastructure construction is of great significance to Indonesia. For one thing, the initiation of projects directly creates job opportunities; for another, once completed, these projects would make transportation more convenient and efficient, reduce production costs, and benefit our people. I would like to particularly point out that the Jakarta-Bandung High Speed Railway has instilled a strong sense of pride among the Indonesian people and enhanced national identity.
Yangcheng Evening News: Given the current complex international situation and the new US administration's aggressive tariff policies, do you think the good cooperation between China and Indonesia has become even more important for both sides?
Purwanto: Yes. During the Trump administration, we acutely felt the impact of sudden shifts in US policies. In this context, I believe China is a better option for the Indonesian government, businesses, and public. In the past, we were overly reliant on the West, particularly Europe, Australia, and the United States. Now, our relationship with China has brought us many benefits. For instance, the cost of traveling to China is much lower than to Australia. In education, choosing Chinese universities over those in Europe or America can also save a significant amount of money. This undoubtedly presents us with a great opportunity to strengthen our bilateral relations under the current circumstances.
Yangcheng Evening News: Guangdong is China's largest provincial economy. What opportunities do you see for cooperation between Indonesia and Guangdong?
Purwanto: I visited Guangzhou last year and was deeply impressed by its development. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Guangzhou. As a thriving commercial hub, Guangdong attracts many Indonesians who come for business activities, purchasing clothing, accessories, and other goods to resell in Indonesia. I spoke with some Indonesian merchants in Guangzhou, and they generally found the prices of goods in Guangzhou to be competitive. I also met some Indonesian students studying in Guangzhou, who told me they work as translators for Indonesian merchants and Chinese manufacturers in their spare time.
Guangdong is also a center for technological innovation, with a large number of high-tech manufacturing industries, offering many opportunities for bilateral cooperation. During my visit to Guangzhou, I mainly visited local schools, so I noticed that there are more opportunities for cooperation in education.
Source: Lingnan On the Cloud
中国和印度尼西亚同为发展中大国、新兴市场国家和“全球南方”主要力量，两国关系具有重大战略意义和深远全球影响。今年全国两会召开之际，印度尼西亚大学政治与社会科学学院院长普尔瓦托（Semiarto Aji Purwanto）接受了羊城晚报记者专访。
近年来中国和印尼在基础设施建设上有诸多合作，您如何评价这样的合作？
在技术领域，中国的发展令人瞩目。印尼领导人意识到，印尼有更多选择，不必依赖西方，中国可助力印尼实现技术现代化。尤其是印尼领导人对中国以及共建“一带一路”倡议在基础设施建设方面取得的成就印象深刻，这促使我们大力推动国内基础设施建设，包括交通和通信等领域。印尼是群岛国家，仍需更多港口和机场。中国在基础设施建设方面的发展，可为印尼提供借鉴。
基础设施建设对印尼具有重要意义，一方面，项目启动直接创造就业机会；另一方面，项目建成后，能使交通更便捷高效，降低生产成本，使民众受益。我想特别指出，雅加达到万隆的高速铁路（雅万高铁）还让印尼人民拥有强烈的自豪感，提升了国民对国家的认同感。
如今国际局势复杂，美国新一届政府高举关税大棒，您认为中国和印尼的良好合作是不是对彼此更重要了？
是的。在特朗普政府执政下，我们深切感受到了美国政策突然转变所带来的影响。在此背景下，我认为中国是印尼政府、商人及民众一个更好的选项。过去，我们过度依赖与欧洲、澳大利亚和美国等西方国家的关系，如今，与中国的关系为我们带来了诸多益处。以旅游为例，前往中国旅游的费用远低于前往澳大利亚；在教育领域，选择中国高校而非欧洲或美国的学府，也能节省大量费用。这无疑为我们提供了一个绝佳契机，促使我们在当前形势下进一步加强双方关系。
广东是中国经济第一大省，您认为印尼和广东省有哪些合作机会？
去年我去了广州，对广东省的发展留下深刻印象，我非常享受在广州的时光。广州是繁荣的商贸中心，许多印尼人选择前往广州开展商业活动，他们采购服装、配饰等商品，再将其销售回印尼。我与一些在穗经商的印尼商人进行了交谈，他们普遍认为广州商品的价格具有竞争力。我还遇到了一些在穗学习的印尼学生，他们告诉我，自己在课余时间为印尼商人与中国生产商沟通时担任翻译。
广东还是一个科技创新的中心，有大量高科技制造产业，可以和印尼在这方面有很多的合作机会。我在广州主要是访问当地的很多学校，所以我注意到在教育方面，我们有更多的合作机会。