Indonesia as a Middle-Power Connector: Anindya Bakrie’s Global Business Diplomacy

By Teguh Anantawikrama

Vice Chairman for MSME Technology Transformation and Digitalization, Kadin Indonesia

INVESTORTRUST.ID - Under the leadership of Anindya Bakrie, the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN Indonesia) has stepped beyond its traditional domestic mandate and evolved into a regional hub of business diplomacy. In an era defined by realignments among the Global South and emerging economic powerhouses, KADIN’s proactive engagement has placed Indonesia at the center of a new web of cooperation — a “middle-power dot connector” linking Asia, the Gulf, Africa, and Europe through trade, technology, and trust.

Repositioning Indonesia in South–South Cooperation

Anindya Bakrie has been instrumental in transforming Indonesia’s economic diplomacy from government-to-government talks into business-to-business bridges. His outreach has revitalized South–South cooperation, creating actionable platforms for investment and industrial collaboration.

KADIN’s renewed memorandum with China’s CCPIT (China Council for the Promotion of International Trade) and partnership with the South China Morning Post to host the China–Southeast Asia Business Forum in Jakarta demonstrate this shift. These forums are not symbolic — they are where deals on EV supply chains, digital payments, and manufacturing cooperation are being seeded, giving Indonesia visibility as the ASEAN gateway to China and the Indo-Pacific.

Bridging Asia’s Rising Powers

Anindya Bakrie’s diplomacy also extends westward. KADIN’s engagement with India has focused on increasing bilateral trade toward a US$50 billion target, aligning Indian industrial momentum with Indonesia’s raw materials, logistics, and digital capabilities. This is how South–South synergy becomes measurable — not in communiqués, but in trade corridors.

At the same time, KADIN’s deepening ties with the UAE and Qatar are shifting Gulf capital into Southeast Asia’s growth story. The US$4 billion joint investment commitment with Qatar covering food security, energy, digital infrastructure, and healthcare illustrates how Indonesian enterprises are now part of Gulf diversification portfolios. These are the new arteries of South–South finance that Indonesia can navigate with strategic confidence.

Attracting the North through Southern Strength

What makes Anindya Bakrie’s leadership distinctive is not isolationist “South-first” rhetoric but balanced connectivity. While fortifying ties across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, KADIN has also positioned Indonesia as a credible partner for European capital looking for stable emerging-market exposure.

During his participation at Choose France 2025, Anindya Bakrie emphasized Indonesia’s role as “the sister of ASEAN,” inviting French and EU investors to see Indonesia not as a frontier market, but as the anchor of the Indo-Pacific middle class. The announced US$300 million partnership with Invest International (Netherlands) to finance Indonesian green and digital projects proves that European partners see Indonesia as a reliable part of global value chains — not just a resource supplier.

Redefining Middle-Power Leadership

Indonesia’s identity as a middle power has often been treated as a geopolitical phrase. Under Anindya Bakrie’s leadership at KADIN, it has become an economic strategy — connecting business ecosystems between continents, while giving Indonesian enterprises front-row visibility in the conversations that matter most.

By integrating GCC capital, Chinese manufacturing networks, Indian digital prowess, and European green finance, Indonesia is no longer a peripheral participant. It is a platform. This is how Indonesia earns credibility not just in diplomacy, but in deal-making.

A Call to Consolidate Our Momentum

For Indonesia’s private sector, the momentum must now translate into project pipelines — from smart logistics and renewable energy to sustainable tourism and digital health. KADIN’s global bridgework gives us the channels; now we must fill them with Indonesian innovation and investment readiness.

In this sense, Anindya Bakrie’s leadership symbolizes more than institutional reform. It is Indonesia’s declaration that it belongs at the center of the new South–South economic map, linking emerging powers with shared prosperity, and putting Indonesian business on a level — and visibility — it has never reached before. ***