Indonesia-China Hold First CSD, Focus on Strengthening Economic Cooperation

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) will hold their first Comprehensive Strategic Dialogue (CSD) as part of efforts to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries. Director General for East Asian Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Arifianto Sofiyanto, said the Indonesia-China CSD would be the first CSD held by Indonesia with a partner country.

“This is the first CSD meeting between the Republic of Indonesia and the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and also the first CSD meeting Indonesia has held with another country,” Arifianto said during a press briefing in Jakarta on Thursday, August 20, 2026.

He explained that the CSD is a follow-up to several important developments in bilateral relations between Indonesia and China, including the Indonesian Foreign Minister’s visit to Beijing last year and the Indonesian President’s visit to China in 2024.

According to him, the first CSD does not mean it will be the last. In recent years, Indonesia has developed strategic dialogue mechanisms with several partner countries.

“This first meeting does not mean it will be the last. Over the past four years, we have had several opportunities with partner countries to establish or develop CSD mechanisms,” he said.

Not all of Indonesia’s partner countries have a CSD mechanism, as the forum is intended for countries with a comprehensive and strategic partnership with Indonesia, including China. The Indonesia-China CSD covers five areas of cooperation outlined in the Joint Statement: political, economic, people-to-people exchanges, maritime, and security cooperation.

Arifianto said all five areas would remain part of the CSD discussions, although the focus could vary depending on the agreements and needs of both countries. For this CSD, the discussions will place greater emphasis on economic cooperation, while the other areas will also be addressed.

“For this CSD discussion, it has been agreed that greater emphasis will be placed on economic issues,” he said.

The Chinese delegation will be led by the Foreign Minister and include several vice ministers, particularly those responsible for economic affairs. Indonesia has also invited several vice ministers in the economic sector to attend as counterparts to their Chinese counterparts.

The Director said the series of meetings are scheduled to take place on Thursday morning as part of efforts to strengthen the strategic cooperation between Indonesia and China.