Belt and Road reaches out to the world

"From the start, Indonesia stressed that BRI projects must be driven by the private sector … the role of the government (in the BRI) is only to facilitate," Marzuki said, adding that all projects under the initiative in Indonesia are carried out on a company-to-company basis, with business entities working directly on related projects.

"If Indonesia is able to optimize BRI collaboration, it will certainly benefit from it," Marzuki said. He added that the BRI complements the government's programs in developing inter-island connectivity and infrastructure — something the country needs to diversify resources and maintain healthy economic development.

"If this connectivity is created, then greater investment will be attracted to Indonesia," he said.

He added that the country's ongoing Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail project is a "highlight" for the people of Indonesia and "a barometer of China-Indonesia cooperation".

The project was given high priority by both Xi and the Indonesian leader after the signing of a memorandum of understanding in March 2015 between Indonesia's Ministry of State Owned Enterprises and China's National Development and Reform Commission for its "cooperative construction".

Targeted for completion by mid-2021, the $6 billion rail link is regarded as a flagship BRI project. Connecting Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, with Bandung, the country's third-largest city, the 142-kilometer line will not only be the nation's first high-speed railway, it will mark the first time that China's high-speed railway standards, technologies and equipment have been put to use on a line overseas.

The link is being developed by Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China, a joint venture formed by Chinese and Indonesian state-owned enterprises. According to Zhang Wei, China Railway Group's general manager for the Jakarta-Bandung project, more than 3,000 jobs are expected to be created for Indonesians as construction reaches a peak.

Infrastructure connectivity is high on the Belt and Road agenda, along with respecting the sovereignty and security concerns of all related countries.