Nation assists Indonesian bullet train project

Top trading partner

China is Indonesia's biggest trading partner and its major investment source. Last year, the two countries celebrated the 70th anniversary of establishing bilateral relations.

Analysts have said they hope the new Jakarta-Bandung rail project will provide technology transfers and support Indonesia's human resources development.

Aditya Dwi Laksana, chairman of the Indonesian Transportation Society, said, "Technology transfers from China should be undertaken thoroughly from the point of view of infrastructure, facilitation and operations.

"Although local content for the railway's facilities and our capacity for its operational system may still be limited, we need to avoid continuously relying on foreign technology," Laksana said.

International relations expert Aleksius Jemadu praised China's involvement in the bullet train project.

He said that in addition to its technological supremacy, the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed line shows China's desire for development projects to reach out to the people.

"It is not about preaching (values), but about real problem-solving for the economic rights and economic needs of people at societal and grassroots levels," Jemadu said, pointing to China's outstanding achievement in lifting its rural poor population above the national poverty line.

Jemadu, a professor of international politics at Universitas Pelita Harapan on the western perimeter of Jakarta, said China's success in the Jakarta-Bandung rail project would provide good momentum for it to offer similar projects to other countries.

ASEAN is a gateway for China to reach out to other developing countries with its capital and problem solving capabilities, notably for infrastructure and transportation development, said Jemadu, who holds a doctorate from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, a leading university in Belgium.

Andyka Kusuma, a professor and researcher of transport planning at Universitas Indonesia, said rail lines already serving Jakarta and Bandung may need to focus on transporting cargo.

"In China, operation of the Beijing-Tianjin fast line led transportation authorities to issue a policy instructing conventional rail lines to only transport cargo, and to encourage passengers to use fast trains," Kusuma said.

Indonesia should also build high-speed rail lines linking Jakarta to other areas, and between cities outside the capital, Kusuma said, adding, "This way, competition will not merely grow between land transportation systems, but also between land and air transportation."

West Java has the largest population in Indonesia, and its economy is based on industries such as electronic goods and automotive products, as well as agricultural produce for export.

The 2.5 million people living in Bandung form part of West Java's population of 50 million. The province is Indonesia's largest in terms of population.

When he became president in 2014, Widodo launched a massive nationwide infrastructure development program to support his "pro-common people "approach and narrow the economic gap between different groups of society and regions.

The program's projects include toll roads, national roads, border roads, suspension bridges, airports, mass rapid transit and light rapid transit networks, and dams.