Interview: Belt and Road cooperation important for Indonesia's economic development: Indonesian expert

By Yu Qianliang, Abu Hanifah

JAKARTA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Cooperation between Indonesia and China under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative is important for the Southeast Asia's largest economy to attain development targets, an Indonesian expert has said.

Jusuf Wanandi, co-founder of the Center for Strategic and International Study (CSIS), said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua here that as Indonesia is projected to be a major economy in the world within the next 10 or 20 years, cooperation with an economic powerhouse like China is crucially essential to attain higher growth in the future.

Aligning the Belt and Road Initiative with Indonesia's Maritime Fulcrum is regarded as an excellent idea, he said, adding that enormous economic potentialities of Indonesia and China will bring prosperity around the region.

Proposed by China in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, aiming at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes of Silk Road.

In terms of the Belt and Road projects in Indonesia, Jusuf said most people have already understood their benefits for the country as well as for their future life.

Indonesia has set staple requirements for the Belt and Road projects carried out in the country concerning recruitment of local workers, technology, environment and support for local businesses, among others.

Other than infrastructure sector, the Belt and Road Initiative also include cooperation in such fields as trade, finance, and people-to-people exchanges.

All of coordinated cooperation is aimed at prospering countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, he noted.

Jusuf said he is very impressed by the achievements China has made in its development.

"After more than 30 years of development, China has been changing in each passing day. It is not just the visible infrastructure. The spiritual outlook of Chinese society has also undergone significant changes," he said.