Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived in Jakarta on Sunday for an official visit to Indonesia, the first stop on his first overseas trip since China's new cabinet took office in March.

Li's visit comes as this year marks the 5th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Indonesia comprehensive strategic partnership and the 15th anniversary of the strategic partnership between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Li was welcomed by Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan and other senior officials at the airport.

Since Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Indonesia in 2013, the two countries have been promoting the synergy of their development strategies, yielding fruitful results in their cooperation in various fields, Li said upon his arrival in Jakarta.

Li will hold talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla, and attend a China-Indonesia business summit. His schedule also includes witnessing the signing of cooperation documents.  

The Chinese premier will visit the ASEAN Secretariat to underscore China's commitment to its relations with the 10-member community, meet with ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi, and attend celebration activities of the anniversary.

One of the main topics of discussion between Premier Li and Indonesian President Joko Widodo is China’s investment plan for Indonesia, which remains an important aspect for the country’s future developments.

"China has been the No.3 top sources of FDI in Indonesia, above the US and South Korea. Based on the Indonesian Investment Board data, in 2017 China already invested 3.3 billion US dollars in a total of 1,977 projects," said economist Bhima Yudhistira. 

Bhima said China’s investment in Indonesia has been very impressive, especially during the 2015-2017 period. China remains a very important ally to Indonesia in terms of economic growth and development.

This time around, Premier Li's trip holds an important significance for both countries. 

"Li Keqiang is well-known as a leading figure behind China's economic policy. We expect there will be a lot of discussion related to China's experiences in economic development such as building massive infrastructure projects, reducing extreme poverty and enhancing export through innovation and industrialization," said Bhima, expressing optimism. 

Sharing these perspectives serves as an important lesson for Indonesia in relation to economic policies.

The visit is also expected to strengthen bilateral economic partnerships such as reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers for Indonesian products in China. 

"Data from Indonesia Statistics stated that China is the largest partner in terms of international trade. Indonesia's export to China was 21.3 billion US dollars in 2017 or equal to 14 percent share of total export. We also hope China and Indonesia can help to find the solution to reduce the tension of trade wars between the US and China. Trade war is a major problem facing Indonesia's trade right now," said Bhima.

Indonesia also remains important in China's Belt and Road Initiative. As of April 2018, Indonesia's government proposed 15 new projects to China, some of them being projects related to railways, toll roads and airports. Premier Li's visit could serve as a positive sign that Indonesia will continue to work hand in hand with China for its big infrastructure projects.

"China's investment in Indonesia varies from construction, mining, oil and gas, manufacture (cement, food and beverages), banking and automotive industry. Under the Belt and Road specifically, China wants to focus on construction projects such as fast-speed railway, port, toll road, and bridge. The progress has benefited Indonesia's economy so far, even shifting Indonesia's ranking in Global Competitiveness Index from 41st position in 2016 to 36th in 2017," said Bhima. 

After the trip to Indonesia, Li will leave for Japan on Tuesday to attend the 7th China-Japan-ROK leaders' meeting.

(CGTN's Silkina Ahluwalia also contributed to this story.)