Indonesia and Kazakhstan’s place at Tiananmen Gate shows China’s outreach on sea and land

Indonesia and Kazakhstan symbolise the naval and land-based connection of the Belt and Road Initiative

The seating arrangement at the Tiananmen Gate during the Victory of the People’s War of Resistance parade, is something that is quite interesting. After all, symbolism like this matters in politics; and you can be sure that China didn’t just randomly assign seats at this sanctum of Chinese history during one of the most important events in recent times.

So we have President Vladimir Putin and General Secretary Kim Jong-Un seated to the right and left of Chairman Xi Jinping, respectively. No surprises there (although some Eurocentric pundits still managed to be taken by surprise for some reason): they are the main geopolitical partner of China on the right, and the People’s Republic’s oldest and staunchest ally, respectively.

But then come the secondary places of honour, and here it gets interesting. President Prabowo Subianto of Indonesia on one side, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on the other. Those are interesting choices, which no doubt display China’s geopolitical emphasis in the years to come.

Kazakhstan is a key member of the Eurasian Economic Union and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) as well as of the SCO, and is a critical hub in the Belt and Road Initiative connecting East and West in Eurasia. It also is a major producer of oil, gas, uranium and rare earth minerals.

Indonesia is an emerging Asian giant, the heavyweight of ASEAN in Southeast Asia, and is intrinsically connected with the maritime trade routes in the critically important link between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific as the “Global Maritime Fulcrum” that was first posited by President Joko Widodo. It also is the world’s largest producer of nickel. And, in the not less important soft power scheme of things, Indonesia is still the most populous country in the Islamic world.

In other words: a crucial land partner and a crucial sea partner strategically invited to the Gate of Heavenly Peace. A symbolic depiction of the Belt and Road Initiative indeed.