A Maritime Silk Road and Indonesia’s Perspective of Maritime State

Abstract

This study is intended to see how the Maritime Silk Road (MSR) will be positioned in Indonesia’s development and strategic perspective in the context of regional initiatives. While the motivations to promote the MSR are mainly economic, there also exist political considerations and consequences of the initiative that will shape the implementation and outcome of the proposed cooperation. This study takes both economic and political perspectives into consideration. The report of this study is organized as follows. After the introduction, the second section highlights various issues related to the MSR initiative. It discusses the economic transformation in China in order to better explain the motivations of East Asian countries to introduce a 21st Maritime Silk Road. This section also highlights the economic development of Indonesia, and focuses in particular on various aspects related to maritime affairs and connectivity. It is then followed by the third section, which discusses Indonesia’s perspective on and expectations of the MSR initiative. 

Keywords: Indonesia, China, Maritime Silk Road