‘Rasa Sayange’ PM Wen
When Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao arrives in Indonesia on Thursday, we hope he will be humming “Rasa Sayange” (the feeling of love) to himself, the Indonesian folk song he learned and loved while growing up in school. That affectionate feeling between Indonesia and China is the one element that has apparently been missing in the relations between the two countries.
Robust yes, but to date, relations have been mostly, if not strictly, business. As Wen pointed out in a meeting with Indonesian journalists in Beijing this week, China-Indonesia relations date way back to the fourth Century. History, he said, has seen close links between China and Indonesia both culturally and politically, and he mentioned the 1955 Bandung conference which brought the two countries together.
Today, those relations are being underpinned more by economies of the two countries. The rise of China has been a boon to the region. Like much of the rest of the world, Indonesia has realigned its economy with this reality. China is increasingly becoming its main trading partner and also an important source of investment. Indonesia is now supplying energy resources, processed and semi-processed natural resources, which China needs to keep its economic momentum.
Closer cooperation will ensure not only our common prosperity, but also that of the rest of Asia and the world. China and Indonesia, along with India, are emerging Asian markets that now lead in global economic recovery. But with this growing economic size and power comes greater responsibility.
This takes us to the question of cooperation in other areas, among the most important of which is the security of the region. Indonesia, through its chairmanship of ASEAN this year, is pushing the concept of “dynamic equilibrium” in which no single country dominates and in which everyone engages in a peaceful and mutually beneficial way.
Prime Minister Wen’s visit provides a golden opportunity for the two countries to strengthen ties even further. He and host President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono need to address some urgent problems such as Indonesia’s grievance over the implementation of the ASEAN-China free trade agreement (ACFTA), and international concerns about maritime security in the South China Sea.
We welcome Prime Minister Wen’s assertion that China and Indonesia need to engage through dialogue to build mutual trust. We cannot think of a more fitting greeting than singing “Rasa Sayange”
Robust yes, but to date, relations have been mostly, if not strictly, business. As Wen pointed out in a meeting with Indonesian journalists in Beijing this week, China-Indonesia relations date way back to the fourth Century. History, he said, has seen close links between China and Indonesia both culturally and politically, and he mentioned the 1955 Bandung conference which brought the two countries together.
Today, those relations are being underpinned more by economies of the two countries. The rise of China has been a boon to the region. Like much of the rest of the world, Indonesia has realigned its economy with this reality. China is increasingly becoming its main trading partner and also an important source of investment. Indonesia is now supplying energy resources, processed and semi-processed natural resources, which China needs to keep its economic momentum.
Closer cooperation will ensure not only our common prosperity, but also that of the rest of Asia and the world. China and Indonesia, along with India, are emerging Asian markets that now lead in global economic recovery. But with this growing economic size and power comes greater responsibility.
This takes us to the question of cooperation in other areas, among the most important of which is the security of the region. Indonesia, through its chairmanship of ASEAN this year, is pushing the concept of “dynamic equilibrium” in which no single country dominates and in which everyone engages in a peaceful and mutually beneficial way.
Prime Minister Wen’s visit provides a golden opportunity for the two countries to strengthen ties even further. He and host President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono need to address some urgent problems such as Indonesia’s grievance over the implementation of the ASEAN-China free trade agreement (ACFTA), and international concerns about maritime security in the South China Sea.
We welcome Prime Minister Wen’s assertion that China and Indonesia need to engage through dialogue to build mutual trust. We cannot think of a more fitting greeting than singing “Rasa Sayange”
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