Some Indonesian Islamic groups advocate closer ties with China to offset the United States' influence in Asia. Indonesian political analysts and religious leaders say these groups reflect opposition to U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and recognition of China growing power in Asia.
The Islamic group Hizbut-Tahrir's spokesman in Indonesia, Ismail Yusanto, says his organization thinks the United States is not a friend to the Muslim world. What might be surprising is that his organization advocates closer political ties with China, a country ruled by an officially atheist Communist Party.
Juwono Sudarsono, a former defense minister and professor of international relations at the University of Indonesia, says, while Hizbut-Tahrir is a small organization with little political power, its message resonates with a growing number Indonesian groups.
China is seen as playing a constructive role in the Indonesian economy. The Indonesian Center
for Strategic and International Studies says China is investing heavily in the country and that so
far this year there has been a 90 percent increase in exports from Indonesia to China.
The increasingly positive attitude toward China is a change from the past. In the 1960s China
was viewed by many as a threat for arming Indonesian communist insurgents.
The economically powerful Chinese ethnic minority in Indonesia was also looked on with some resentment from the general population. During the rule of Indonesian strongman Suharto, it was illegal to publicly display Chinese writing or culture. Today the anti-Chinese bias has largely dissipated. (Source: Voice of America, Apr 1, 2010).