An Indonesian tourist can pay in a restaurant in China simply by scanning the QR code with an Indonesian payment system. This shows how well China and Indonesia cooperate in the digital field.

This payment system is called QRIS, short for Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard.

It is a standardized QR payment system in Indonesia that can be used as cross-border payment in China and takes only a few seconds, Yulian Wihantoro, chief representative of Bank Indonesia Beijing Representative Office, said during the China-Indonesia Friendship Stories Exchange Event in Beijing on July 31.

However, behind those few seconds are years of conversation, negotiations, technical work and most importantly, trust between Indonesia and China, Yulian said. "We (both) are part of ASEAN+3, we are part of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and we are part of the Global South cooperation."

Marsudi Wahyu Kisworo, member of the Board of Governors, National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia, said innovation must also serve local communities. "In digital technology and AI, we are delighted to have cooperation with China."

Indonesia is located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, where minor earthquakes occur almost every day. Marsudi said Indonesia has adopted integrated satellite and AI system for early warning. Sharing data across borders, especially with China, can save lives globally.

Cooperation in remote sensing technologies also facilitates disaster response. In October 2014, the China National Space Administration and the Indonesian Maritime Security Coordinating Board (IMSCB) signed an agreement, giving Indonesia access to Chinese remote-sensing data.

Wang Zhongmin, director of International Cooperation Center of Deep Space Exploration Lab, was involved in the program. He participated in the coordination with IMSCB many times, discussing topics such as how Chinese remote-sensing data can be used in the governance of Indonesian waters.

China's high-definition satellite data provided strong support for disaster rescue and reconstruction during disasters in Indonesia, such as the 2018 Lombok earthquake, the 2021 East Nusa Tenggara floods, and the 2025 Central Java landslides.

In addition, the APSTAR-6E satellite developed by China and delivered while in orbit in November 2024 covers the whole of Indonesia and provides high-throughput broadband communication services. This has helped advance the country's digital transformation.

Bilateral cooperation in the digital sector also facilitates the development of industrial parks in Indonesia, which faces great challenges such as low efficiency and environmental pollution.

Located in Central Sulawesi, the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) is a joint industrial development by Chinese and Indonesian companies. IMIP used to rely on manual form filling to collect data, but digital technologies changed the situation.

Liu Zhigao, associate researcher and deputy director of the Department of Regional Sustainable Development Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR), Chinese Academy of Sciences, saw the changes when he visited IMIP this year.

In cooperation with the University of Science and Technology Beijing, IMIP developed a digital twin system for massive information collection. The system can gather data from every tunnel of the factories in the park, thus minimizing the pollution and waste. This is just one of many such stories, Liu said.

The Indonesian Industrial Estates Association opened a representative office in Shenzhen in south China in April. During the APEC SME Business Forum 2026, it signed a memorandum of understanding with the China International Cooperation Association of Small and Medium Enterprises and IGSNRR on strengthening regular cooperation in the industrial park sector between China and Indonesia.

Bilateral cooperation in the digital sector continues, so does friendship. Yulian ended his speech singing a couple lines from the Chinese song Friends. He said they define the Indonesia-China partnership: "Friendship that endures, trust that strengthens, and prosperity that we build together."

Themed "Digital Bridge in the Age of Innovation," the event was hosted by the China International Publishing Center.