A scene from the "Global South Dialogue: China-Indonesia Roundtable Forum" in Jakarta, Indonesia, on October 19, 2026. Photo: GT

Deepening economic integration and flourishing people-to-people exchanges between China and Indonesia have been delivering tangible benefits, Zhou Kan, chargé d'affaires ad interim of the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia, noted at the "Global South Dialogue: China-Indonesia Roundtable Forum," hosted by the Global Times in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Monday.

Zhou noted that President Prabowo Subianto recently visited the Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park (IWIP) in person to launch 11 nickel downstreaming ecosystem projects, and new energy projects. During the visit, Prabowo emphasized Indonesia's commitment to respecting and protecting investment from all countries and protecting its partners as it would its own family. China has remained Indonesia's largest trading partner for 13 consecutive years and ranked among its top three sources of foreign investment for 10 consecutive years.

Indonesia has issued its first panda bonds in China, marking a new breakthrough in bilateral financial cooperation. Indonesia has also joined the China-initiated World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) as a founding member, Zhou said. 

The potential for bilateral cooperation in areas such as the digital economy, green energy, food security and poverty alleviation continues to be unleashed, bringing tangible benefits to the people of both countries, Zhou said.

More than 1.11 million visits to Indonesia were made by Chinese nationals, making China the country's second-largest source of tourists, Zhou noted. 

China has extended its 240-hour visa-free transit policy to Indonesian nationals, while the number of direct flights between China and Indonesia has increased to 264 per week. Indonesia's 10th Confucius Institute has officially been inaugurated at Universitas Negeri Padang. Various scholarship programs, including Chinese Government Scholarships, have also provided more young people with opportunities to study and participate in exchanges in China, Zhou said. 

The forum brought together more than 150 guests from various sectors in China and Indonesia for in-depth discussions on building a China-Indonesia community with a shared future, strengthening China-ASEAN regional cooperation and promoting the common development of the Global South.