Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s state visit to China has garnered significant attention from various parties. According to Professor of International Relations at the University of Indonesia (UI), Fredy Buhama Lumban Tobing, this visit is an important moment as China is the first friendly country visited by Prabowo as Indonesia’s 8th President. “It’s interesting because China is the first friendly country visited by Mr. Prabowo. This shows that China has an important position in Indonesia’s geopolitics going forward,” said Fredy, who also views China’s invitation to Prabowo as a form of recognition of Indonesia’s leadership under Prabowo.
During the visit, Indonesia and China signed several important agreements, including financial support for the “Food Supplementation and School Feeding Programme” to be implemented in Indonesia. Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, stated that China will fund a free nutritious meal program to improve the nutritional quality of Indonesian people, especially among children and underprivileged families. “The Chinese government has agreed to support funding for the free nutritious meal program in Indonesia. This is a positive step to address malnutrition issues,” said Airlangga.
One of the major achievements from this visit is the interest of foreign investors to participate in President Prabowo’s housing development program. Hashim Djojohadikusumo, Head of President Prabowo’s Housing Task Force, revealed that the program to build 3 million houses per year initiated by Prabowo has attracted global investors’ attention. “Investor interest is already very high, including from countries such as Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Singapore, India, and China. They are ready to fund this housing program,” said Hashim.
This housing program is one of the priority agendas in Prabowo’s government to boost Indonesia’s economic growth to 8% in the next five years. With a target of building 15 million residential units, both houses and apartments, by 2029, this program is expected to have a significant impact on the housing sector and national economy. According to Hashim, the success of this housing development will create new job opportunities, increase people’s purchasing power, and accelerate infrastructure development.
The improvement in the housing sector also has the potential to reduce social inequality and provide better access for people to decent housing. “This housing development is key to ensuring economic equity and reducing social disparities. We hope that interested foreign investors can accelerate the realization of this program,” said Hashim.
President Prabowo’s visit to China, with various agreements reached, becomes a strategic momentum to strengthen Indonesia’s relationship with this major country, in economic, social, and political fields. With China’s support in funding the nutritious meal program and foreign investment interest for housing development, Indonesia is further strengthening its economic and infrastructure foundations towards a more prosperous future.