Chinese Indonesian Eri Widoera, 24, decided to study Mandarin as he saw more Chinese companies entering Indonesia and felt the need to reconnect with his Chinese roots, even though he describes himself as a proud third-generation Indonesian.
“If you can speak Mandarin, Indonesian and English, certainly your competitiveness in the market [will be much higher],” he said.
He chose to study in Taiwan and spent 18 months at National Taiwan Normal University’s Mandarin Training Centre (MTC) in Taipei, which is known as the largest and oldest such institution in the self-ruled island.
Eri Widoera, 24, who studied Mandarin in Taiwan. Photo: Randy Mulyanto
According to the Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), China invested US$2.3 billion in the country in the first half of this year, making up 16.2 per cent of Indonesia’s total foreign investment. Last year, Chinese investment in the country reached a total of US$2.4 billion and Indonesia has welcomed Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative to boost trade through infrastructure connectivity. For example, a Chinese company is involved in the high-speed railway connecting the Indonesian capital Jakarta and Bandung in West Java.
