SHANGHAI: China’s Premier Li Qiang said on Saturday that China and Indonesia will promote “true multilateralism”, the official Xinhua news agency reported, as he landed in Jakarta on a two-day visit to Southeast Asia’s largest economy.

China has intensified engagement with countries in the region since US President Donald Trump announced hefty import tariffs on its global trading partners earlier this year.

Some levies have since been delayed, while China and the US agreed this month to pause some of their tariffs. Jakarta, whose biggest trading partner is China, has offered the US a number of concessions in a bid to soften tariffs against Indonesia.

At a business leaders’ event later on Saturday, at which Li was present, Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto said relations between Beijing and Jakarta were key for regional stability, adding that Indonesia views China as an important partner in developing industry and technology.

He also praised China’s role in defending the interests of developing countries and its stand against “imperialism” and “colonialism.” Prabowo and Li will hold a meeting on Sunday to discuss how to strengthen Indonesia-China relations, Indonesian investment minister Rosan Roeslani said in a statement.

Following the visit to Jakarta, Li will travel to Malaysia to attend the ASEAN-GCC-China Summit, Xinhua reported.

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2025