Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to hold one-on-one talks with his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo in Beijing on Tuesday in a rare visit by a foreign head of state to Covid-wary China. China last hosted foreign leaders at the opening of the Winter Olympics in February, with Russian President Vladimir Putin among those who visited Beijing in a heavily guarded bubble.
Jokowi, as the Indonesian president is widely known, is in Beijing this week at the invitation of Xi Jinping for what China says is an “in-depth exchange of views”. Jokowi, who arrived in Beijing late Monday night, was also scheduled to meet Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. Travel by foreign dignitaries to China has been extremely rare since the outbreak of the new coronavirus pandemic more than two years ago, with China’s borders largely closed due to domestic concerns about Covid-19. Jokowi, as the Indonesian president is widely known, is in Beijing this week at the invitation of Xi Jinping for what China says is an “in-depth exchange of views”.
Jokowi, who arrived in Beijing late Monday night, was also scheduled to meet Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. Travel by foreign dignitaries to China has been extremely rare since the outbreak of the new coronavirus pandemic more than two years ago, with China’s borders largely closed due to domestic concerns about Covid-19. Xi Jinping last traveled from mainland China to Hong Kong on June 30 to mark 25 years since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule.
Previously, Xi visited Myanmar in January 2020, his last official trip to a foreign country. Indonesia, one of China’s biggest trading partners, is an important source of ferronickel, coal, copper and natural gas for the world’s second largest economy. In the first half of 2022, China’s imports from Indonesia, mostly commodities, rose 34.2% year-on-year, the most after Russia. As president of the G20 this year, Jokowi has sought to mend the rifts in the group exposed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Last month, he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and delivered a message to President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Jokowi said Indonesia was willing to be a “bridge of communication” between the two leaders. While China has not condemned its strategic partner Russia for the invasion, it has repeatedly called for an end to the fighting and offered help in promoting peace talks. Both Indonesia and Russia are part of the G-20, with the former chairing the group this year. Some G-20 member states have threatened to boycott this year’s leaders’ summit, to be held on the island of Bali on November 15-16, if Putin attends.
Earlier G20 meetings this year focused on global food security and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a “special military operation.”The war in Ukraine has caused major disruptions to global trade, with grain and wheat prices soaring amid a blockade of Ukrainian seaports and sanctions on Russian commodities such as oil, gas and fertilizers.
