Reuters: China premier strives for trust, investment with Indonesia
JAKARTA, April 29 (Reuters) - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao promised Indonesia $19 billion of investment credit on Friday as he sought to build trust and end wariness between the world’s emerging power and one of the region’s brightest hopes. China is vying with the United States for influence in Indonesia and Southeast Asia in general, the site of strategic sea lanes and resources that it needs to power its economy. Many people in the region see the United States as a bulwark against a dominant China. Wen held a singsong with Indonesian students, met Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and then announced $9 billion of soft and commercial loans for infrastructure development and another $10 billion of export credits. He said China would also give a billion yuan ($154 million) for maritime cooperation. Other Southeast Asian countries have clashed with China over rival claims over potentially oil- and gas-rich islands and reefs in the South China Sea, which is seen by China as its