Jakarta, 15 Juni 2023—Perkembangan investasi China di negara berkembang, termasuk Indonesia, melalui Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) mendapat sorotan tajam. Peneliti CELIOS, Yeta Purnama, menyatakan, “Dalam konteks hilirisasi nikel atau smelter masih didominasi penggunaan PLTU batubara yang tingkat emisi karbonnya sangat membahayakan masyarakat sekitar lokasi smelter, dan ini bertentangan dengan komitmen Presiden Xi untuk menghentikan seluruh investasi baru di pembangkit batubara di luar China.” Ia juga menekankan perlunya skema yang lebih transparan dan tata kelola perusahaan yang baik agar ambisi Jalur Sutra Baru China tidak bermasalah.

Direktur Kajian Indonesia-China CELIOS, Dr. Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat, menyoroti risiko utang dan ketergantungan Indonesia terhadap China. “Karena terlalu dekat dengan China akan menimbulkan implikasi terhadap kebijakan luar negeri Indonesia terutama mengenai isu Laut China Selatan yang akan melemahkan posisi Indonesia. Ada kaitan antara penetrasi investasi, utang dan permasalahan keamanan,” jelasnya. Zulfikar juga menekankan dampak sosial dan lingkungan dari investasi China di Indonesia, seperti di kawasan PT Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park dan Harita Nickel, serta masalah keselamatan dan kesehatan kerja (K3).

Zulfikar merekomendasikan agar investor dan kreditur China mendorong perbaikan standar BRI terutama terkait lingkungan, hak tenaga kerja, dan kontribusi terhadap masyarakat lokal, termasuk rantai pasok baterai/EV yang bersih. Yeta menambahkan, “Penting agar ada penguatan pengawasan aparatur pusat dan lokal, serta penguatan kapasitas Bappenas dan Kemenkeu untuk memastikan utang China tidak menjadi debt trap (jebakan utang).” Zulfikar menutup, “Pemerintah juga perlu melakukan revisi insentif fiskal yang merugikan Indonesia karena nilai tambah tidak signifikan, sementara kerusakan yang ditimbulkan terlampau masif.”

China’s investments in developing countries, including Indonesia, through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have drawn significant attention. CELIOS researcher Yeta Purnama stated, “In the context of nickel downstreaming or smelters, coal-fired power plants still dominate, with carbon emissions that seriously endanger local communities near the smelters, contradicting President Xi’s commitment to halt all new coal power investments outside China.” She also emphasized the need for more transparent schemes and better corporate governance to prevent China’s Belt and Road ambitions from facing major problems.

CELIOS Director of Indonesia-China Studies, Dr. Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat, highlighted the risks of debt and Indonesia’s dependency on China. “Being too close to China has implications for Indonesia’s foreign policy, particularly regarding the South China Sea, which could weaken Indonesia’s position. There is a link between investment penetration, debt, and security issues,” he explained. Zulfikar also pointed to the social and environmental impacts of Chinese investments in Indonesia, such as in PT Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park and Harita Nickel, as well as ongoing occupational health and safety (OHS) concerns.

Zulfikar recommended that Chinese investors and creditors promote improvements in BRI standards, particularly regarding environmental protection, labor rights, and local community contributions, including ensuring clean supply chains for batteries and EVs. Yeta added, “It is important to strengthen oversight at both central and local levels, as well as enhance the capacity of Bappenas and the Ministry of Finance to ensure Chinese debt does not become a debt trap.” Zulfikar concluded, “The government also needs to revise fiscal incentives that harm Indonesia because the added value is insignificant, while the damage caused is massive.”