The Orientation of Chinese Newspapers in Indonesia as China Rises

This paper examines the impact of globalizati on and a rising China, among other factors, on the political orientati on of Chinese-language newspapers in Indonesia.

Chinese newspapers in Indonesia have had a long trajectory, moving from a China-oriented focus to an Indonesia-oriented one over the course of Indonesian history. Their content has grown beyond the local to become regional in its outlook.

The recent rise of China has been having a profound impact on Chinese newspapers in Indonesia. Many of their arti cles are pro-China while attempting to maintain the delicate balance and being Indonesia-oriented at the same time.

With the community of Chinese-speaking Indonesian Chinese shrinking due to age, the Chinese-language dailies face challenges in circulati on. The older generation that frequents them possesses signifi cantly strong economic power, however, and while new migrants from China and ethnic Chinese from other Southeast Asian countries also read these dailies, their numbers are relatively small.