China and Indonesia
Infrastructure, industry and trade connect China with Southeast Asia's largest economy. Cooperation is organised through several political and economic mechanisms. The maritime dimension and Indonesia's position within ASEAN add interests of its own that extend beyond Chinese-funded projects.
Analysis reviewed: 2026-10-07 · Indicators updated: 2026-10-07An agenda with several pillars
The 2022–2026 action plan organises political, economic, people-to-people and maritime cooperation.
Infrastructure and industrial chains
The December 2024 statement places infrastructure and industry among the areas of cooperation.
The 2025 foreign affairs and defence mechanism
The first 2+2 meeting of foreign affairs and defence ministers took place in April 2025, according to the Chinese communication.
Bilateral indicators
Blank cells: data unavailable.
| Indicator | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Goods trade | 167,666.14 M USD | 2025 · UN Comtrade |
| Goods: China to Indonesia | 85,403.95 M USD | 2025 · UN Comtrade |
| Goods: Indonesia to China | 82,262.18 M USD | 2025 · UN Comtrade |
| Services trade | ||
| Export share: China to Indonesia | ||
| Export share: Indonesia to China | ||
| Investment stock: China in Indonesia | ||
| Investment stock: Indonesia in China |
Definitions and sources
Trade adds both directions. Shares refer to the country’s total goods exports; investment is an accumulated stock, not an annual flow. Every figure retains the currency and period of its source. BEA positions are historical-cost estimates based on the immediate counterpart, not market values or investment by ultimate owner. ‘More than’ indicates a lower bound, not an exact amount. A recorded stock does not establish new activity or authorisation to operate under sanctions.
- Goods trade
- 2025 · UN Comtrade / CHN · Goods, CHN reporter, UN Comtrade TOTAL aggregate, full year. The reporter's valuation and coverage are retained: imports normally CIF and exports FOB; no addition of mirror reports.
- Goods: China to Indonesia
- 2025 · UN Comtrade / CHN · Goods, CHN reporter, UN Comtrade TOTAL aggregate, full year. The reporter's valuation and coverage are retained: imports normally CIF and exports FOB; no addition of mirror reports.
- Goods: Indonesia to China
- 2025 · UN Comtrade / CHN · Goods, CHN reporter, UN Comtrade TOTAL aggregate, full year. The reporter's valuation and coverage are retained: imports normally CIF and exports FOB; no addition of mirror reports.
Country comparison
Period and source beside each figure · est. = estimate by the stated institution.
Year-on-year inflation: different periods or frequencies; the two figures are not directly comparable.
| Indicator | China | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Nominal GDP | 19.5 trillion USD2025 · WB | 1.45 trillion USD2025 · World Bank |
| GDP per capita | 13,861.97 USD2025 · WB | 5,059.63 USD2025 · World Bank |
| GDP growth | 4.96 %2025 · WB | 5.11 %2025 · World Bank |
| Policy interest rate | 1.4 %2026-09-24 · PBoC | |
| Inflation · annual average | 0.06 %Annual average · 2025 · WB | 1.91 %Annual average · 2025 · World Bank |
| Inflation · latest year-on-year figure | 0.8 %Year-on-year · Aug. 2026 · NBS China | 3.28 %Year-on-year · 2026-09 · BPS Indonesia |
| Unemployment | 4.62 %ILO est.2025 · WB | 3.24 %ILO est.2025 · World Bank |
| Budget balance (% of GDP) | -7.9 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | -2.9 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Gross public debt (% of GDP) | 99.2 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | 41 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Current account balance (% of GDP) | 3.77 %2025 · WB | -0.11 %2025 · World Bank |
| Population | 1,406,585,0002025 · WB | 285,721,2362025 · World Bank |
| Area | 9,562,910 km²2023 · BM / FAO | 1,916,907 km²2023 · World Bank |
| Military expenditure | ||
| Military expenditure (% of GDP) |
Definitions, dates and sources
Blank cells are not zero. Average annual inflation and the latest year-on-year figure appear in separate rows: they are not the same measure. Every annual indicator retains its reference year; when the years differ, the figures are identified as not directly comparable. When a figure is unavailable from the World Bank, an annual IMF estimate is used and identified as such. The latest year-on-year figure is the latest official release verified as of 7 October 2026. This includes advance releases marked as provisional. Mexico may have a fortnightly figure before the full month is published; it is not automatically compared with a monthly figure. The publication date is retained in each source’s details; it does not replace the observation period or the annual average. Policy rates carry their own dates and represent different instruments. Spain and France share the ECB rate. Balances are positive for surpluses and negative for deficits. The IMF may use fiscal years; unemployment retains each source’s definition (ILO estimates, IMF WEO or PCBS), as stated in the details. For Palestine, debt and the fiscal balance cover central government and retain the PCBS definition; they are not presented as consolidated general government. These are economic magnitudes, not measures of relationship quality.
Area retains each source’s territorial coverage; it does not determine sovereignty or effective control. Canada uses an archived national geographic reference. Military expenditure retains the 2024 SIPRI sample distributed by the World Bank: the amount and percentage of GDP use that same definition, which differs from NATO’s. It is not an approved budget or a 2026 figure. Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Military expenditure database · Terms of use0
Indicators reviewed: 2026-10-07. Each source retains its original access date; this review does not turn all the data into 2026 observations. Figures may be revised.
- Nominal GDP
- Current USDChina: 2025 · World BankIndonesia: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- GDP per capita
- Current USD per personChina: 2025 · World BankIndonesia: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- GDP growth
- Annual real change (%)China: 2025 · World BankIndonesia: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- Policy interest rate
- Central bank instrument (%)China: 2026-09-24 · PBoC: 7-day reverse repo · People’s Bank of China · Published: 2026-09-24 · Rate of the official operation consulted, not the mortgage LPR or the PSL lending rate. Subsequent operations with zero volume are not converted into a 0% interest rate.
- Inflation · annual average
- Average annual change in headline CPI (%)China: 2025 · Average annual CPI change (%) · World BankIndonesia: 2025 · Annual average change in CPI (%) · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- Inflation · latest year-on-year figure
- Headline CPI relative to the same period of the previous year (%); monthly or fortnightly frequency statedChina: 2026-08 · Headline CPI change relative to the same month of the previous year (%) · National Bureau of Statistics of China · Published: 2026-09-09 · National headline year-on-year CPI, not monthly inflation or an annual average.Indonesia: 2026-09 · Headline CPI; change against the same month of the previous year · BPS Indonesia · National headline CPI year-on-year; not the monthly change or January–September average.
- Unemployment
- % of the labour force; definition used by the stated institutionChina: 2025 · World Bank · ILO est.Indonesia: 2025 · ILO modelled estimate, percentage of the labour force · World Bank · ILO est. · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- Budget balance
- General government (% of GDP)China: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.Indonesia: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · IMF WEO general-government estimate. Retains the source’s fiscal year when it differs from the calendar year.
- Gross public debt
- General government (% of GDP)China: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.Indonesia: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · IMF WEO general-government estimate. Retains the source’s fiscal year when it differs from the calendar year.
- Current account balance
- % of GDPChina: 2025 · World BankIndonesia: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- Population
- PeopleChina: 2025 · World BankIndonesia: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- Area
- Total area in km²; territorial coverage of the sourceChina: 2023 · Total area including inland waters; territorial coverage of the source · World Bank · FAOIndonesia: 2023 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- Military expenditure
- Current USD per year; SIPRI series
- Military expenditure (% of GDP)
- Percentage of GDP; SIPRI definition, not NATO’s definition
Other data specific to this relationship
What they buy and sell
Documented selection, not an exhaustive list. Cells without a figure do not mean zero value; some products are identified without a verified amount.
China to Indonesia
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
Indonesia to China
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
Connections between people
Education and people-to-people exchanges feature in the bilateral agenda; commitments in the plan are not converted into mobility counts. [4]
Residents, study and travel
Blank cells: data unavailable. Each measure retains its definition and period.
| Indicator | Value | Period / source |
|---|---|---|
| Residents from China living in Indonesia | ||
| Residents from Indonesia living in China | ||
| Study and training: China in Indonesia | ||
| Study and training: Indonesia in China | ||
| Academic stays: China in Indonesia | ||
| Academic stays: Indonesia in China | ||
| Travel: China to Indonesia | ||
| Travel: Indonesia to China |
What each figure measures
Residents are counted by nationality and the coverage of the stated register, not as people born in the other country or as new arrivals in one year. PERE includes dual nationals and people born outside Spain. Study with OPT and stays carrying academic credit are different measures. Travel may include several visits by the same person; FRONTUR arrivals require an overnight stay, whereas the Canadian survey includes day visits. These figures are neither added together nor automatically compared across directions.
Mobility data added or reviewed: 2026-10-07. Reference periods may be earlier.
Underlying ties
History, institutions and long-standing issues.
An agenda with several pillars
The 2022–2026 action plan organises political, economic, people-to-people and maritime cooperation. It provides a bilateral programme with a defined period, distinct from a collective defence treaty. Its content reflects both governments' priorities, not a list of already completed projects. Commitments can continue through commissions and negotiations while Indonesia maintains other partners and its participation in regional institutions. [1]
Infrastructure and industrial chains
The December 2024 statement places infrastructure and industry among the areas of cooperation. Transport projects and productive investment connect financing, construction and business activity. Assessing their economic dimension requires distinguishing loans, direct investment, contracts and operating infrastructure. Customs trade in the table measures goods; it does not by itself capture the value of all construction or subsidiary production. [3]
The sea as a space for cooperation and negotiation
Maritime cooperation is expressly included in the bilateral plan. It encompasses interests in economic activity and regional connections, but does not establish that the countries have eliminated every difference over jurisdiction or maritime rights. Cooperation proposals require examination of their area, instrument and conditions. This profile does not treat participation in a project as automatic recognition of the other party's territorial claims. [1]
Indonesia in ASEAN and regional agreements
The ASEAN–China 2026–2030 programme provides an additional framework for the economy, connectivity and sectoral cooperation. It is a multilateral document, not an exclusive China–Indonesia agreement. The country participates with national priorities within that architecture. An industrial chain can depend on both bilateral relations and regional rules, so trade cooperation cannot be explained solely by meetings between two presidents. [4]
Recent developments
Recent developments and latest available data · Reviewed: 2026-10-07
The 2025 foreign affairs and defence mechanism
The first 2+2 meeting of foreign affairs and defence ministers took place in April 2025, according to the Chinese communication. It introduces a format in which political and security matters are addressed together. The meeting documents institutionalisation of dialogue, not a promise of automatic military assistance. Its objectives are attributed to the official communication, while trade and mobility outcomes retain independent statistical measures. [2]
What recorded goods show
In 2025, recorded goods trade was 167,666.14 million USD. Shipments from China to Indonesia were 85,403.95 million USD, and those in the opposite direction were 82,262.18 million USD. A single reporter is used for both directions. The difference between those flows describes that source's goods balance, not the entire economic balance: services, subsidiary activity and investment have independent measures. [5]
Milestones and consequences
Sources and data
Periods and scope of the figures
Each figure retains its period, currency, definition and source. Blank cells are not zero. Policy documents are distinguished from statistical results, and projects under way from announcements.
- Bilateral plan 2022–2026
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- First meeting of the 2+2 mechanism
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China · Institutional source · Document: 2025-04-21 · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Joint statement of December 2024
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China · Institutional source · Document: 2024-12-18 · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- ASEAN–China plan 2026–2030
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China · Institutional source · Document: 2025-08 · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Annual TOTAL X/M; reporter=156; partners=276,250,360,704,608,586,682; 2025; 12 returned records
UN Comtrade / CHN · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07