The Jakarta-Bandung High-speed Railway (HSR) is a successful example of developing countries in the region working together towards modernization, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Wednesday while inspecting the China-Indonesia cooperation project. Li started his official visit to Indonesia this week, where he is also attending the 26th China-ASEAN Summit, the 26th ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit.

Calling the two countries "good neighbors, good brothers and good partners across the sea," Premier Li said the long-lasting friendly relations between China and Indonesia are beaming with new vitality.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Indonesia. 

For a long time, the China-Indonesia cooperation has gone beyond bilateral scope, according to Li, both are emerging countries with a strong desire for national rejuvenation, and both are committed to maintaining openness, inclusiveness, harmony and stability in the region.

Jakarta-Bandung HSR: first of its kind in Southeast Asia 

As a flagship project under the Belt and Road Initiative and pragmatic cooperation between Indonesia and China, the 142-km-long Jakarta-Bandung HSR is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, with a maximum designed speed of 350 km/h. It is the first overseas high-speed railway project that fully uses Chinese railway systems, technology, and industrial components.

In June, the comprehensive inspection train (CIT) of Jakarta-Bandung HSR reached 350 km/h, the design speed, during the joint commissioning and testing phase.

Li took a test ride and inspected the construction of the platform at Karawang Station on Wednesday. Calling the high-speed railway a road to integration, openness, and common prosperity, Li said that it will not only shorten the time between cities but also promote the optimization and upgrading of industrial structure and empower economic development along the route.

The HSR cuts travel time between Indonesia's capital city, Jakarta, and West Java Province's capital, Bandung from over three hours to 40 minutes.

With broad space for high-quality cooperation, China is willing to work with Indonesia to expand further cooperation on green energy, digital economy, biomedicine, and artificial intelligence, said Premier Li in Jakarta.

After decades of cooperation, the two sides aim for future

Noting the visit is his first to an Asian country as premier of China's State Council, Li, in his speech at a welcoming reception hosted by China-Indonesia business community on Tuesday, said making Indonesia his first stop is for development, friendship, peace and cooperation. 

Over the past decade, the partnership between Indonesia and China has undergone a remarkable transformation through Indonesia's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), aiming to enhance its economic connectivity and foster cooperation between the two countries.

In 2022, the bilateral trade volume between China and Indonesia reached $149.1 billion, a year-on-year growth of 19.8 percent. In the same year, China's total investment in Indonesia amounted to $8.19 billion, making Indonesia the second-largest investment destination for China within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). China's direct investment in various sectors in Indonesia in 2022 reached $2.15 billion, a year-on-year growth of 14.4 percent.

China and Indonesia signed a series of cooperation documents in November 2022, including a Plan of Action for Strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Indonesia (2022-2026), a cooperation plan regarding the BRI, and cooperation documents covering areas such as economy and trade, digital economy, vocational training, and medicinal plants.

The two sides should make continuous efforts to take the lead in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation in the region, push the building of the China-Indonesia community with a shared future to a new level, and contribute to the well-being of their people and the development and prosperity of the region, Li said. 

He pointed out that the economies of China and Indonesia are highly complementary and that there is huge potential for practical cooperation.

(With input from Xinhua)