Editor's note: Indonesian President Joko Widodo kicks off his visit to China on Monday. Even though there have been no visits between the leaders of the two countries for almost three years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Indonesia share an important trade and economic relationship. CGTN talks to some Indonesian students in China to get their thoughts about bilateral ties and future exchanges.

Setiawan Chandra goes to the gym of his school, Yunnan Normal University, around 6 p.m. every day. Playing badminton is an important part of the 28-year-old's daily routine.

The sport, one of the most popular in both China and his home country Indonesia, means more than just a pastime to him.

"I wanted to know more people back then. Badminton is what I'm good at, and I thought it would be a good way of communication. Now, I've made many Chinese friends in this way," Chandra told CGTN.

The young man began his studies at the university in southwest China in 2019. He said mastering the Chinese language has been his long-cherished wish, as he has an unbreakable bond with China – his great grandfather was born here.

But the COVID-19 outbreak started soon, and he chose to stay.

"I thought that China would deal with the emergency in an effective and efficient manner. Looking back, I think I made a wise decision. China is now a lot safer than many other countries," said Chandra.

In June, he got his master's degree in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages. And he'll soon start a new journey for a doctorate.

Over the past years, as his language skills improve, his passion for Chinese culture has also grown, in particular, history.

"I'm very interested in historical figures. I once attended a calligraphy course. My teacher asked us to write some famous sayings by ancient people, and I like those by Confucius very much," he said, illustrating this with a popular one saying "Don't do unto others what you don't want done unto you."

He's also been actively involved in various activities, where he could learn more things about China. In a video contest this year, he introduced the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative in a special way.

"I also uploaded the video to social media platforms to let more people know about it," said Chandra. "I think the initiative will promote political and economic cooperation between China and the participating countries."

Both Chandra and some other Indonesian students in China hope there will be more exchanges in different fields as well.

"I hope the two countries can develop together economically," said Madinatul Munawaroh. "In the future, I hope more students from my country can come to China to study, and at the same time, more Chinese people will learn our language."

And this is what's happening. More and more Chinese universities have set up the major of Indonesian language, including some in Yunnan.

Chandra echoes her, noting that many people just learn about China from Western news outlets, which are biased and bring them misunderstanding about the country.

"They will see a 'real China' when they get an opportunity to live and study here," he said.

Chandra said he is determined to work as an Indonesian language teacher in China upon graduation. 

"I hope I can be a 'bridge' to let people from the two countries know better about each other."

(Cover photo: Setiawan Chandra makes a speech at the graduation ceremony in Yunnan Normal University./ Setiawan Chandra)