The Belt and Road Initiative in ASEAN - Indonesia
HKUST IEMS Reports No. 2021-08
The study aims to provide insights into the political, institutional, and environmental factors that affect the design and implementation of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects in Indonesia, the potential for BRI investments to spur private investment and other foreign direct investment (FDI) opportunities, and any potential role for the Hong Kong SAR.
President Widodo has created a “Sea Toll Road” plan that perfectly aligns with the BRI. Indonesia aimed to direct Chinese investments to four main provinces to help the country’s infrastructure and economic development. The most substantial Chinese investments are not currently in these regions, but interest is warming up. The BRI’s impetus has led to a sixteen-fold increase in Chinese investments in Indonesia from 2013 to 2019. Chinese investments went through phases. They started with trading and mining activities but more recently have brought new technology and built infrastructure.
UOB Hong Kong collaborated with the Institute (Albert Park, Angela Tritto, and Dini Sejko) from 2018 to 2020 to conduct a research project titled “the Belt and Road Initiative in ASEAN”. It covers six emerging markets in ASEAN, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. It aims to provide insights into the political, institutional, and environmental factors that affect the success of the Belt and Road Initiative projects in these markets and the potential for foreign direct investment opportunities.
Find out more about The Belt and Road Initiative in ASEAN - Indonesia here.
