Indonesia's economic growth and turnover are greatly influenced by good relations with countries that are trading and investment partners. Therefore, maintaining good relations with friendly countries is an important aspect of economic diplomacy, especially with China and the United States, which are Indonesia's main trading partners.
Indonesia is open to cooperating economically with any country, whether in the context of bilateral or multilateral relations. To that end, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto always makes time to attend multilateral meetings and meet with leaders of friendly countries in his country. In addition, President Prabowo also receives a number of leaders of friendly countries at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta or at the Presidential Palace in Bogor.
From these bilateral and multilateral meetings, the Indonesian Government Communication Agency stated that President Prabowo successfully secured new investment commitments worth more than Rp 1,000 trillion.
From the Global Business Survey conducted by the SUAR Team, survey respondents consisting of company leaders and economic experts stated that Indonesia is open to cooperating economically with any country. This was expressed by four out of ten respondents. However, there are countries that could be prioritized as more profitable trading or investment partners.
The country with the highest percentage of responses was China (28.1%). Following that, with the same percentage of 6.3% each, were the United States, ASEAN countries or other Asian countries, and Saudi Arabia or other Middle Eastern countries.
Factors that need to be considered in establishing cooperation that can encourage economic growth include whether the country is a superpower or has significant influence on the global stage (27.8%). In addition, having strong financial conditions (22.2%), being a major destination for export commodities (16.7%), and having more advanced technology (11.1%) are also considerations.
China, as one of Indonesia's priority countries in establishing economic cooperation, has at least two strong factors to consider: it is a superpower or influential country and it is a major destination for Indonesian exports.
Referred to as a superpower or influential country, this is evident from the United States considering China as its strongest competitor in trade matters. The trade war between these two major countries has not subsided. US import tariffs on Chinese products reached 145%, although they later fell to 30% in May 2025. Conversely, Chinese import tariffs on US products reached 125% before finally falling to 10% in May 2025.
Indonesia's non-oil and gas exports to the United States are valued at US$26.56 billion, or half of its exports to China.
China remains Indonesia's largest non-oil and gas export destination. During the January-October 2025 period, Indonesia's non-oil and gas exports to China were recorded at US$52.45 billion. This figure accounts for 23.51% of Indonesia's total exports and represents a 1% increase compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, the United States ranks second as Indonesia's main export destination, with a value of US$26.56 billion (half of exports to China) and a share of 11.5%.
These two countries, which are Indonesia's trading partners, have different trade balance records. Although the largest share of Indonesia's exports goes to China, the Indonesia-China trade balance is always in deficit because imports from China are greater. Meanwhile, the trade balance between Indonesia and the United States has always been in surplus for Indonesia year after year. The value of Indonesia's non-oil and gas exports to the US is higher than the value of US exports to Indonesia.
In terms of investment, in 2025 (January-September) China was the country with the third largest investment realization with a value of US$5.4 billion, after Singapore (US$12.6 billion) and Hong Kong (US$7.3 billion).
ASEAN countries such as Singapore and Malaysia are priority trading and export partners for Indonesia. Their geographical proximity, or the fact that they are the closest neighbors, is the reason for the establishment of economic cooperation.
Middle Eastern countries, especially Saudi Arabia, are also priority countries for partnership with Indonesia. This is because Indonesia's Muslim-majority population is the largest market for Saudi Arabia in terms of the Hajj pilgrimage. It is also the main destination for Indonesian migrant workers seeking to improve their lives.
Although there are countries that are prioritized for economic cooperation, Indonesia remains open to cooperation with any country to diversify its export markets and attract investment.
