In Indonesia, new Chinese migrants not as welcome as Chinese cash
- Since the launch of Belt and Road projects, Indonesia has seen an influx of migrants from China, known as xinyimin
- As their numbers grow, xinyimin may come into conflict with Chinese-Indonesians and the indigenous population, who see them as exploiters and foreigners
According to official figures, there were 24,800 Chinese workers in Indonesia in 2017, most of whom were classified as skilled workers. However, many observers believe the real number may be double that.
This emerging new Chinese migrant community in Indonesia may come into conflict with Chinese Indonesians who consider these new migrants as competitors. Xinyimin may also become an issue for the indigenous population who see them as exploiters and foreigners.
XINYIMIN BUSINESSES
According to one estimate, there are more than 1,000 China companies in Indonesia. Of these, 260 are members of the China Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia (CCCI).
The CCCI, established 15 years ago, only accepts mainland Chinese firms as members, and almost all large state-linked companies established in Indonesia are members. Some members are privately-owned businesses, which are mainly SMEs.
The large companies often collaborate with local Indonesian firms, while the SMEs are often independently-run and have few interactions with local Chinese-Indonesian businesses. Chinese-Indonesian firms have their own chambers of commerce, which only accept Chinese-Indonesian businesses as members.
The former chairman of the CCCI, Zhang Min, who previously managed China Bank in Jakarta, has said Chinese firms are well established in construction, the building of power plants, the smelting industry, and electronics. Expertise in such sectors are much needed in Indonesia, while Indonesia’s rich natural resources are in demand by China.
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The current composition of the CCCI’s council is clearly controlled by China’s major state-linked enterprises. The general chairman is Zhang Chaoyang, who is director of China Bank’s Jakarta branch; the honorary chairman is Zhang Jinxing, from the ICBC; the council chairman is Zhang Wei, from China Railways Corporation; the daily deputy chairman is Liu Cheng, from Global Machinery Company in Indonesia; and the secretary is Xie Baohua, from China Pacific Insurance. There are also 12 deputy chairmen representing firms from various industrial sectors operating in Indonesia.
A former general chairman of the CCCI, Gong Bencai, from China’s State Oil Company, in 2018 said that 50 per cent of activities by Chinese businesses in Indonesia were in Java Island, with the rest in the Outer Islands. In terms of investment, 17 per cent was in construction, 15 per cent in mining, and 13 per cent in the electronics industry. Gong added that China firms had also moved into the infrastructure, logistics, power plants and the food industries.
China’s state-linked and private businesses in Indonesia do recruit local Chinese Indonesians, though not in great numbers. These firms require staff who speak and understand Mandarin, and most young Chinese Indonesians are not fluent in that language.
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GROWING CHINESE INVESTMENT
Not only has the trade volume between China and Indonesia continued to increase, the inflow of direct investment has also been dramatic. China is now Indonesia’s largest trading partner, while as the source of direct investments into Indonesia, China jumped from number 10 in 2008, to number 3 in 2016.
Nevertheless, the amount is still very small when compared to FDIs from Japan and the United States. Luhut Panjaitan, now the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, made an appeal to China in 2018 to invest more in Indonesia.
Indeed, China is very interested in doing business in Indonesia. Outside Java, another centre is the Riau Archipelago Province, known as Kepri. In 2015, the China Businessmen Association in Riau (APTK) was officially established. It has 20 members, including PT Bank ICBC Indonesia, PT TJK Power, and PT China Communications Construction Industry Indonesia.
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The chairman of APTK is Shen Xiaoqi, who is the CEO of ICBC in Indonesia. He announced that the group would join the CCCI and become its Riau Islands branch, and said he looked forward to the guidance of the Chinese embassy and consulate-general.
In 2017, China’s investment in Kepri was still small. Both the investment of mainland China and Hong Kong combined was only US$232 million, placing it as the number 4 investor in Kepri. Separately, Hong Kong was number 5, while mainland China was number 12.
However, by 2019, mainland Chinese investment had reached US$1.3 billion, placing it as the second largest investor in Kepri, behind Singapore (US$2.7 billion), but ahead of Hong Kong (US$600 million), Japan (US$600 million), and the US (US$500 million).
XINYIMIN STUDENTS
Meanwhile, Indonesia has seen a significant rise in students from China in recent decades. In 2001, Chinese Indonesian banker Li Moming established President University in Jakarta. It offers 100 annual scholarships to students from China.
Since 2010, the Zhongguo Gangwan Foundation China Hongkong and Bay Areas Enterprise has also offered 15 to 20 annual scholarships to the President University.
According to one study, graduates from President University have served as the backbone for xinyimin businesses in Indonesia. These graduates, numbering more than 1,000, are well versed in both Mandarin and Indonesian.
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There are also many Indonesians, both indigenous and of Chinese descent, who have studied in China. In 2015 to 2018, as many as 57,031 Indonesian students went to China for higher education. Although no data is available on what they have been doing since their return to Indonesia, one may assume that some would have joined Chinese firms.
Chinese-Indonesians who grew up during the New Order era, under former President Suharto's regime, are generally not well versed in Chinese dialects of any kind. The still sizeable older generation, on the other hand, went to Chinese-medium schools and are often literate in Chinese. According to one estimate, Indonesia has about 30,000 Chinese-language newspaper readers, supporting at least seven or eight such newspapers, five of which are based in Jakarta.
Since the younger generation of Chinese Indonesians in general no longer have an active command of Mandarin, these newspapers often employ mainland Chinese students at Indonesian universities as reporters, writers or editorial staff. Some continue to work after graduation, contributing to the survival of the Chinese press in post-Suharto Indonesia.
XINYIMIN AND CHINESE-INDONESIANS
Most xinyimin have a limited command of the Indonesian language. Some interaction between them and older Chinese-Indonesians who still speak Chinese does occur. This cannot be said about interactions between them and the younger generation of Chinese Indonesians who are Indonesian- or Western-educated.
According to observers, the ties between xinyimin and Chinese Indonesians are not close, and the groups are divided by different life experiences and by the language barrier.
Even ties between xinyimin businessmen and Chinese-speaking Chinese Indonesians have not been cordial. Many xinyimin businessmen are seen to be arrogant and dismissive of the local Chinese, while Chinese Indonesian towkays often distrust xinyimin businessmen.
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But from my observations, major xinyimin corporations do collaborate with local Chinese-speaking businessmen. The local contacts help the xinyimin to develop their businesses in Indonesia. This is especially the case in the Outer Islands where many Chinese Indonesians are still able to speak Mandarin.
While Indonesia welcomes Chinese investments, a surplus-capital China also needs resources from Indonesia. Most new Chinese migrants are quite young and are often better educated than the older migrants. They are also more adventurous, and chances are, they will be more successful than their forefathers.
With the arrival of xinyimin, a new type of overseas Chinese community is in the making. Indonesia may experience a totok-and-Peranakan situation again. These new Chinese migrants (totok) may come into conflict with the Chinese Indonesians (Peranakan) who consider new migrants as competitors and a threat.
There may also be tension – and conflict – between xinyimin and the indigenous population, who see them as foreign exploiters. In addition, Beijing’s Overseas Chinese policy may also affect the situation of the xinyimin in Indonesia should Sino-Indonesian relations turn sour.
Leo Suryadinata is Visiting Senior Fellow at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. This article was adapted from his original paper published as ISEAS Perspective 2020/61, New Chinese Migrants in Indonesia: An Emerging Community that Faces New Challenges, on June 11, 2020.
