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Chinese Dreams: Indonesia

Episode 2 of 5

The ethnic Chinese minority in Indonesia have long suffered discrimination and economic envy. Rebecca Henschke asks if the rise of China will help them, or make matters worse.

Will the rise of China help or damage Chinese-Indonesians? The ethnic Chinese minority in Indonesia have long suffered discrimination – forbidden from taking jobs in government and the military and targeted during violent riots in 1998. In the city of Yogyakarta they are still not allowed to own land. But some Chinese-Indonesians have benefited economically from the rise of China, as middlemen between the two economies. Today, 8 of the 10 richest Indonesians are thought to be ethnically Chinese. And now more and more Indonesians are studying in China or learning Mandarin. ´óÏó´«Ã½ Asia Editor Rebecca Henschke asks if the rise of China and the growing prominence of some ethnic Chinese will create further resentment - or if there can be a happier outcome?

Produced by Arlene Gregorius for the ´óÏó´«Ã½ World Service.

Editor: Hugh Levinson.

Chinese Dreams is a five-part series examining how China’s rise is affecting nations around the globe.

(Image: Favian – a young Chinese businessman, standing in the warehouse of his family’s business in the city of Balikpapan in Indonesia. Credit: Yudistira Tribudiman/´óÏó´«Ã½)

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27 minutes

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Sun 5 Jan 2020 10:06GMT

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