Indonesia’s Perception and Strategy toward China’s OBOR Expansion: Hedging with Balancing

Abstract

Indonesia has an ambitious infrastructure improvement plan because President Joko Widodo prioritizes infrastructure development for maritime sector development planning. Based on the vision of the Global Maritime Fulcrum (GMF) of Indonesia, BRI is in line with national interests in the vision of GMF. BRI is related to three of the five pillars contained in the GMF vision, namely maritime connectivity, maritime economy, and maritime culture. This article discusses Indonesia's perceptions and strategies in the BRI framework, and how Indonesia and China balance each other so that cooperation between the two countries impacts on economic growth and prosperity for Indonesia. Finally, for the Global Maritime Fulcrum-Belt and Road Initiatives (GMF-BRI) to synergize and achieve the vision set by the governments of China and Indonesia, mutual economic cooperation is needed. President Joko Widodo has demonstrated his leadership and ability to navigate Indonesia by implementing a hedging strategy with a sense of balance rather than joining in with China via bandwagoning. He showed his firmness in inviting foreign investors, especially from China, but he has strong principles in maintaining the sovereignty and dignity of this country.

Keywords:

• BRI
• GMF
• Indonesia
• Joko Widodo
• Strategy