Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indonesian President Joko Widodo pledged to supercharge Belt and Road cooperation during a phone talk on Monday, spotlighting their landmark Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway as a symbol of joint prosperity. 🌏✨
Xi highlighted the railway's 'sustainable operation' as a blueprint for future projects, while Widodo praised China's role in Indonesia's economic growth. With Widodo completing his decade-long presidency, both leaders celebrated 12 face-to-face meetings that reshaped bilateral ties into an 'all-round strategic cooperation' model.
🔍 Why it matters: Next year marks 70 years since the historic Bandung Conference, where Asian and African nations first championed anti-colonial solidarity. Xi vowed to revive this 'Bandung Spirit' with Indonesia to empower Global South countries in shaping fairer international policies.
💡 The “Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence” – mutual respect, non-aggression, and equality – were name-dropped as timeless guidelines for South-South cooperation. Analysts see this as a nod to counter Western-dominated global governance.
With Indonesia's new government taking office soon, Widodo expressed confidence that Jakarta-Beijing relations will keep accelerating – proving infrastructure diplomacy can be a win-win game. 🛤️💫
