Jakarta Globe, Barry Wain - Straits Times Indonesia, May 07, 2011
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With Premier Wen Jiabao's recent visit to Indonesia, China has resumed its charm offensive, which was disrupted by a series of diplomatic missteps that caused concern in Southeast Asia last year.
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| Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao's visit to Indonesia last month was a chance to reassure the region about China's intentions. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) |
Combining comforting words with a folksy approach, Wen gave repeated assurances about Beijing's benign intentions, declaring that its priority was development and that it would never bully its smaller neighbors.
Speaking in Jakarta, he addressed an Indonesia that is playing a bigger role in regional and international affairs, as a member of the G-20 and the current chairman of Asean.
His comments were directed not only at host Indonesia but also at the other nine members of Asean, many of which have become wary of China's assertiveness, especially in the South China Sea.
In brief, Wen attempted to replace the scowl on China's face of the past year with the smile that had proved so effective earlier.
'My visit this time is a journey of friendship and cooperation,' he said, making it clear he was not just offering major contracts, which have become a characteristic of China's diplomacy. 'It is also aimed at planning for the future.'
That Wen made the four-day trip to Southeast Asia at all, spending two days in Malaysia on his way to Indonesia, was meant as a significant gesture in itself.
He will be in Indonesia again in October this year to attend the East Asia Summit, but insisted on an official visit late last week to make amends for having had to cancel a visit last year because of a major earthquake in Qinghai.
Historically, conservative elements in Indonesia, including the military, have distrusted the People's Republic since Mao Zedong's communists took over in 1949 and sponsored revolution in Southeast Asia.
Although the two countries signed a "strategic partnership" in 2005, Indonesia still harbors a "certain ambivalence" towards China, according to veteran Indonesian analyst Jusuf Wanandi. While recognizing the critical impact that China's rise is having on economic, political and security developments in the Asia-Pacific, he said "we have some misgivings about a close and equal relationship" with Beijing.
China's harsh reaction last year to US intervention in the South China Sea disputes, which was supported by most of the core Asean members, has renewed wariness about Beijing.
Aware that relations with China will be a major issue at a series of Asean meetings chaired by Indonesia this year, beginning with an Asean summit later this week, Wen did not arrive empty-handed.
He announced $9 billion in soft and commercial loans for Indonesian infrastructure development and a further $10 billion in export credits. He also promised another one billion yuan for maritime cooperation.
The two countries signed several agreements promising closer cooperation and agreed to try and lift their two-day trade to $80 billion by 2015, from just under $43 billion last year.
But conscious that the real challenge was to win influential Indonesia's trust, Wen went beyond meetings with political and business leaders, invoking history and culture to connect with the country and its people.
He frequently referred to Chinese traders and voyagers, who ventured to Indonesia centuries ago but did not seek conquest, to suggest that the motives of today's Chinese representatives are equally peaceful.
At Al Azhar Islamic University, he affected the caring Grandfather Wen image that has gained him a following among ordinary people in China. He took the stage to recite an ancient Chinese poem and join tudung-wearing students singing an Indonesian folk song.
It was in a major speech on ties with Indonesia and Asean, however, that Wen got to deliver his most welcome message.
Conscious that Asean fears losing its coveted role in arranging new groupings that make up an evolving regional architecture, he pledged steadfast support for Asean centrality. "East Asian cooperation will enjoy sound development only if Asean continues to play its leading role," he said.
Although it was a restatement of Beijing's position, his strong declaration of "steadfast" backing comes at a time when some Southeast Asian governments wonder if China is happy with the admission of the US and Russia to the East Asia Summit this year.
But Wen said Beijing welcomes the involvement of powers outside the region - such as the US, Russia and the European Union - as regional cooperation partners, "but Asean should still take the lead."
Wen specifically endorsed regional mechanisms, including Asean+1, Asean+3 and the East Asia Summit, but stressed that they "should always develop with the 10, or Asean, in the driver's seat."
His use of Asean's favorite terminology - "the driver's seat" - will warm Southeast Asian hearts even if they look for further evidence that they will not feel the pressure of China's ascent.
Barry Wain is writer-in-residence at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Reprinted courtesy of Straits Times Indonesia. To subscribe to Straits Times Indonesia and/or the Jakarta Globe call 2553 5055.
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