From pogroms to partners - Indonesians' views of China

Most countries in South East Asia are home to Chinese minority groups. In Indonesia, around 3 to 3.5 percent of the population is Chinese. But their influence is far greater than these figures would suggest. Although there are no official statistics, it is assumed that anywhere from 60 to 90 percent of Indonesia’s capital is controlled by ethnic Chinese. The Chinese minority living in Indonesia has arguably had a much larger impact on ties between the two countries than Beijng's official foreign relations with the country.

A focal point in Indonesian-Chinese relations is the bloodshed in 1965 in Indonesia, which led to the presidency of General Suharto. But mystery still surrounds the events of September 30th. According to the official version (spread by Suharto's government) it was a communist coup. But numerous facts have repudiated this.

Among the one hundred thousand people who were killed in a massacre that started that night, many were ethnic Chinese who were accused of working with the communist party. Even after the country recovered and every-day life returned to normal, ethnic Chinese continued to be "prosecuted".

China was the enemy within

During the "New Order", as President Suharto's era was called, an icy chill dominated Indonesian-Chinese relations. Under his quasi-dictatorship, Indonesian nationals with Chinese heritage were not allowed to speak or write Chinese. Children born in Indonesia to Chinese parents also had to change their Chinese names and take Indonesian ones - anything to do with China was distrusted and put under surveillance. To this day, the communist party is still banned in Indonesia.

Despite China's reforms in the 1980s, Suharto did not warm to the country. There was only one exception: some of Indonesia's most successful ethnic Chinese businessmen had good connections to the Suharto clan.

From pogroms to partners

It wasn't until after Suharto was forced to resign in 1998 after mass demonstrations and riots that Indonesia softened to the rising Chinese superpower. Ignatius Wibowo, China expert at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta says Indonesian-Chinese ties have never been as good as they are now. He adds one could call it a golden era of bilateral relations.

Leaders of the two states meet, trade is prospering and there is a great deal of cultural interaction. "Besides that, there are good relations between the people of both countries. Many Indonesians go to university in China. And many Chinese have discovered Indonesia as a holiday destination," says Wibowo.

So what brought on this change of heart? It all started with the inauguration of President Abdurrahman Wahid. Although he was only in office for two years (from 1999 to 2001), he was the one who started making official visits to China. And, what is more important, he put an end to the discrimination of the Chinese population in Indonesia. For the first time in decades, Chinese people were allowed to celebrate Chinese New Year in Indonesia.

"Wahid made a breakthrough. It was clear to him that China was an up and coming country and Indonesia would have been foolish to ignore that," according to Wibowo. "Suharto was very suspicious of China, but Wahid proved that Indonesia did not need to fear China."

His successor, President Megawati, followed in Wahid's footsteps. And during a state visit to Beijing, the female Indonesian president even started dancing with the then Chinese president, Jiang Zemin. That is when it became clear that China was welcome in Indonesia.

China – a counterweight to the West

Today, under President Yudhoyono, Indonesia's politicians see China's rise as a welcome counterbalance to the dominant influence of the USA, the European Union and to Japan in the Asia-Pacific region. Foreign policy expert, Hariadi Wirawan of Indonesia University believes that while the West plays a significant role for Indonesia, cooperation with China is even more important. "Indonesia is not a priority in the USA. We are not at the top of Washington's list. China, on the other hand, sees us as a vital partner, both strategically and tactically."

Hariadi Wirawan also mentions the concerns with regard to China's growing influence in the Asian-Pacific region. Beijing maintains it does not wish to dominate the region but instead promote cooperation. Wirawan says this will make cooperation easier with smaller Asian countries.

Cooperate, not dominate

And it seems cooperation is thriving. Five years ago China and Indonesia announced their strategic partnership and a joint energy forum and far-reaching collaboration on many issues followed.

Adi Putra Tahir of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry highlights how important it is to have Chinese investors in Indonesia, but also to have clear agreements. "For example in the textile industry, we do not want to have any yarn from China. We already have a lot of factories producing that." But he says there's nothing wrong with China building textile factories and selling its products in Indonesia.

Tahir also says there are a number of infrastructure projects, in which China could invest – for example in electricity plants, road construction and the expansion of various harbors.

Even after decades of discrimination against its countrymen, China does not seem to hold a grudge. In Beijing it is obvious why Indonesia is of importance: the archipelago holds large natural oil and gas reserves and China welcomes the purchasing power of Indonesia's approximate 240 million citizens for its goods.

Author: Zaki Amrullah (Jakarta) / sb
Editor Grahame Lucas