Questioning the Ties that Bind: Chinese Indonesians� Reponses to China�s New Maritime Silk Road

The relations between China and Southeast Asian Countries are often marked by China�s rise as a global power. Chinese foreign policy translates the rise of China into the One Belt One Road initiative, one component of which is the new Maritime Silk Road (MSR), specifically designed for North, South, and Southeast Asia. The gist of MSR is what Beijing terms as economic cooperation involving aids and investment that would benefit all parties involved. Scholars� opinions on this initiative are divided into at least two camps. One camp views that this initiative is China�s grand strategy to hegemonize the regions, and other countries should be very careful with China�s entanglement. The other camp has a more favorable view, that is, this initiative would transform the regions involved into a very promising economic zone. As a part of Southeast Asian region, Indonesia cannot avoid China�s entanglement. It welcomes MSR. However, because of its historical trajectory, the implementation of MSR in the country, where its citizens of Chinese descent often play a role of intermediaries, faces challenges due to the public�s perception on China and its initiatives. Drawing on qualitative data, in this paper I investigate how the ethnic Chinese in Indonesia respond to Chinese economic initiatives as part of MSR. I also investigate how they navigate between the Chinese investment for the country and the consequences the investment brings. Preliminary findings show that due to social and cultural factors, Chinese Indonesians are sensitive to the perception of the other ethnic groups in Indonesia towards China and Chinese initiatives.